


When Extremes Meet

by MaevynRaven



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Firebender!Catra, Fluff and Angst, Pro-Bending, earthbender!Adora, trans!Catra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27612011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaevynRaven/pseuds/MaevynRaven
Summary: Catra is a working class firebender in Republic City, who earns her wages working on the Sato mobile assembly line. A chance encounter leads her to an interesting discovery: the girl she met earlier that day is actually a pro-bender, and she’s good.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Kyle/Lonnie/Rogelio (She-Ra)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 64





	1. Welcome To Republic City

**Author's Note:**

> I’m just kinda winging this spur of the moment inspiration I got in 6th period so here we fucking go y’all!! Catra is the ATLA/LOK equivalent of Afro-Latina and a trans girl in this and Adora is Black because it’s what we the people deserve. Also quick bit a honesty, I know fuck all about cars (sorry dad, I know you got your hopes up when I came out as a lesbian) so I’m totally just bullshitting that part. That aside, please enjoy :) also if you want an idea of how I picture Adora and Catra, check out @yourfaveisblck on Twitter. I imagine a beefier version of their Adora and a human version of Catra.

Ah, Republic City. A building block of industry, a sea of shining lights and steel hugging a bay of glistening seawater. Smoke fills the streets, a triage of gangs runs half the town, and the government cares more about collecting taxes than caring for its people. It’s a wonder of modern technology. 

Catra gritted her teeth as she walked. Choking on exhaust from Satomobiles rolling past is not the way she would have preferred to spend her Friday morning. The city was already bustling around her, seemingly never at rest. The sun’s rays had barely begun to pierce the hazy cloud of smoke, and yet Catra still had to shove past a multitude of pedestrians and tourists on her way to work. 

She wasn’t particularly bulky or looming, but her well-practiced scowl was enough to send most people scurrying out of her path with just a glance. Though she didn’t pack on layers of muscle and back it up with intimidating height, Catra was still toned from her years of working at the steel factory. She spent five days a week working eight hour shifts firebending and hammering molten hot metal into shape. Old scars from flying debris gave the illusion of stripes along her arms and sides. Her thick, curly black hair was kept out of her face by a red strip of cloth which she used as an improvised bandana. 

Combining style with function with her sleeveless grey tank top showing off the scar-covered lithe muscle of her arms, loose fitting and ripped up denim pants, and almost fang-like teeth poking through her lips, Catra was able to give off a very satisfying aura of “don’t fuck with me.” Blue and gold eyes darted from face to face as she paced, giving each and every one a blistering stare in turn as they hurried past. Catra may not have been in the best position in her life just then, but sending people twice her size speed walking away with just a look brought her endless amounts of contentment. 

She spun purposefully on her heel, turning the final corner that would lead her to her destination. She was not looking forward to the hours of grueling labor ahead of her. Her muscles still ached from yesterday’s shift, and if she hadn’t been stuck saving up to move away from Shadow Weaver’s shitty hostel she would have quit long ago. _Just a few more months_ , she told herself. _A few more months of keeping my head down and bearing through it, and then I’m free._

The heavy iron door around back was propped open as workers trickled in and out for the day. Catra nodded at the night-shift laborers walking past her with pity. Thank the spirits she wasn’t stuck smithing all night, it was a wonder more workers didn’t collapse from exhaustion (plenty did, but the company kept that little detail very quiet). She scribbled her name on the ‘clock-in’ paper and slid it over to Grizzlor, her squad’s manager, who grunted. 

She stretched her arms across her chest as she meandered over to her station, trying to work out the last couple of kinks before the long day ahead. Scorpia was already there, hammer in hand, chatting animatedly with Rogelio, who looked like he was not listening to a word she was saying.

“So anyway I said, ‘and don’t you forget it, punk’ and he totally just- oh, hey Catra!!”

Whatever story she had been telling was cut short when Scorpia noticed her sauntering over. Catra resisted the very tempting urge to just cover her ears with her hands. Setting her small pack down, she did not return Scorpia’s greetings, instead turning her attention to Rogelio.

“So. Lonnie and Kyle here yet? I wanna get started as soon as possible. Grizzlor’s gonna get on our asses if they’re late.”

“Lonnie’s in back, grabbing some extra tools or whatever. Kyle probably forgot how to tie his shoes and is still looping the bunny ears.”

Catra let out a humorless snicker. Poor Kyle. She’d feel bad about picking on him so relentlessly, but he _was_ kind of a screw up more often than not. As if summoned by her name, Lonnie strolled up to them, gripping a pair of rusty pliers. She gave a silent not to Catra as she took her place next to Rogelio. They adopted the same pose, hands on their hips, not too subtly showing off their beefy biceps. Matching tattoos were visible on both their shoulders; an emblem of a circle with two wings emblazoned on either side. It wasn’t an uncommon sight, The Horde was one of the most influential gangs in Republic City. Catra, though she usually kept it covered, had one to match herself. 

Finally, Kyle jogged up to them, panting. He gave a half hearted excuse and nearly tripped over a loose nail as he took up his position. With the whole team ready, the unit began their work. Scorpia and Rogelio, the two non-benders, picked up the first plate of metal and secured it on their station, flexing their arms as they gripped it as tightly as possible to hold it in place. Catra began grounding herself to prepare for her part of the process.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. She allowed herself to simply notice the stinging in her nostrils of the metallic, burning air filling her lungs. She felt the clattering echoes of metal clashing against metal, of Grizzlor growling commands to another worker, the sounds of shifting feet, even the gentle rattling of the air vents pumping the smoke out of the room. She allowed herself to feel the balance of energy within herself, gently humming through her limbs, connecting her to her bending. 

She raised her hand, pointing two fingers forward, and slowly began manipulating the energy. She felt tension beginning to rise in her like a rubber band being pulled slowly tighter and tighter as she pulled it further and further apart. She opened her eyes to aim, carefully scrutinizing the place she needed to send the blast. Slowly, the swaths of energy desperately fighting the separation began feeling like it was going to tear her in half. When she finally reached her breaking point, she let everything come crashing back together. With one last tug, the rubber band snapped, sending a crackling blue beam of white hot light screaming from her fingertips and into the steel below. 

Slicing the thick metal was a tedious process. Keeping the beam of cracking lightning controlled was extremely difficult, and extremely draining. She gritted her teeth as she held steady, slowly following the line that had been dotted across the sheet in black ink. When she had finished, she was panting, and beads of sweat had already begun dripping down the side of her face. Kyle and Lonnie began their job, bouncing a stream of water back and forth along the line Catra had weakened for them, sawing away at the metal until it cleanly came apart. 

Shifting positions, Catra placed her hands on either side of the first half. This job was much easier. She let the heat of the flames pool into her hands, an orange glow licking out from her fingers and into the metal beneath. She pushed the blistering fire through the area that needed to be worked, keeping a steady supply of heat pumping through the areas that Scorpia and Rogelio were now hammering, making sure the steel was supple and would bend easily around their blows. Kyle and Lonnie followed behind their work, drifting clumps of oil through the air and quenching and hardening the steaming metal beneath as they went. 

They continued to work like this, preparing their sheets for the next step of processing before passing them along to the next group to begin manufacturing and assembly. Future Industries had long since mastered the art of assembly lines, and factories like this one allowed them to pump out car after car in record time. After a grueling three and a half hours, Grizzlor dismissed their squad for lunch. Catra’s muscles were screaming from the physical exertion bending took on her, not to mention how draining using up so much of her energy was.

  
  


Grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder, she made a b-line for the door, and the fresh air waiting along with it. Well, as fresh as you can get when you live in a densely populated industrialized city. A line of poorly kept tables lined the outside walls of the fenced in back plot of land, where most employees took their breaks to eat, smoke, and chat. Catra headed over to her usual secluded spot, the farthest table to the corner. 

Pulling her usual meal of cold noodles from last night’s dinner from her pack, she bent a small flame under the bottom of the can until a nice-smelling steam began rising from the food. It was cheap stuff, but Catra wasn’t exactly picky. She quietly began eating, enjoying the peace and quiet of her own little spot. Sadly for her, this peace was soon interrupted. She had a particularly large amount of noodles halfway into her mouth when a large body flopped down next to her, immediately accompanied by Scorpia’s voice. Rolling her eyes, she finished the bite. 

“Heyyy, Catra! Just saw you sittin’ over here all alone, figured I’d come keep you company.”

“Have you considered that maybe I chose to sit alone for a reason?”

She growled irritatedly. 

“Oh right, right, I forgot you put on the cool tough guy facade. It’s okay, you don’t have to pretend around me! I won’t tell anyone.” 

“Hggghhhh.”

Catra’s response was a garbled groan of despair at the death of her poor, sweet solitude. 

“You know what? Fine. You can stay, _if_ you shut up. Got it?”

Scorpia nodded intently.

“Oh you got it boss. I won’t say a word. Not a peep out of me, no ma’am-“

The subsequent glare Catra sent over served as a reminder that Scorpia was, in fact, failing her only task. Catra crossed her legs and kept her eyes on the dirt as she finished her lunch. Putting the empty can back into her pack, she slid out a water bottle and took a long sip. Thank the spirits for thermoses, the cool water against her tongue was infinitely refreshing, rinsing out the taste of ash and soot that inevitably got into one’s mouth as they worked. 

Catra slowly noticed the drawling tap of Scorpia’s fingers against her high. _Tap-tap-tap-tap_ , _tap-tap-tap-tap,_ she drummed each finger one at a time. Catra became hyper aware as soon as she noticed it, like each one was assaulting her senses. Finally, through bared teeth, she growled,

“Is there something you would like to say, Scorpia?”

Her scathing glare seemed to go unfazed. 

“Actually, yeah.”

“Well spit it out then.”

“I was just wondering… I mean I noticed Shadow Weaver has been giving you an extra hard time lately.”

It was true, though Catra had long been the outlet for Madam Weaver’s frustrations, in the past week something had her agitated, which meant extra threats, blackmail, and withheld food. Catra was almost surprised Scorpia had noticed; she had only moved into the hostel a few months ago. 

“Anyway, between that and work, I figured you could use a bit of fun. So I’ve been putting aside some of my wages, and I got these.”

She reached into the inner pocket of her coat and pulled out two slips of paper. They were a goldish-brown color, and the glossy sheen of the sheets obscured whatever was written on them.

“Um… what exactly am I looking at?”

Scorpia gave a small smirk.

“I may or may not have scored us tickets to the next pro-bending game.”

Catra’s jaw dropped.

“You- you what? How did you even get those??”

She realized too late that she had failed to mask her excitement and awe. Abashedely, she closed her mouth and tried to regain some of her composure. Scorpia giggled.

“I have my secrets. And by that I mean I know a guy on the inside. Scored me some decent seats for like a quarter of the price.”

“Scorpia, remind me to never insult you again.”

Scorpia awkwardly ran a hand over the back of her neck and chuckled.

“You sure you wanna go making that promise, Wildcat?”

“On second thought, no, forget I said that.”

She wanted to add “ _and don’t call me that,_ ” but with the size of that gift, Catra was okay to let the nickname slide that time. It was no secret that pro-bending tickets were expensive and hard to get, they always got snatched up almost immediately. Most folks simply listened to the commentary over the radio. To get to see a game in person was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Catra let out a happy hum of contentment as she finished up her drink and replaced the thermos in its pouch. 

“Seriously Scorpia,” she added as people began making their way back into the factory. “Thank you. This is seriously awesome.”

Scorpia blushed slightly.

“Really, it’s no problem. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. This was the least I could do.” 

Catra’s mood was significantly lifted as she made her way back into the choking air of the factory. The second half of her shift was always much easier anyway. Squads were assigned to two tasks that they were trained in, so they got to switch up their tedium after their lunch break. Their second job was much farther down the line, securing the pistons in the engines. It was still difficult work that required precision and care, but Catra preferred it over beating giant sheets of metal into obedience. 

She had become quite familiar with the inner machinations of Satomobiles, and she would bet good money she could disassemble and reassemble an engine herself, though she _was_ prone to cocky overestimations of her own abilities. The itching excitement of those two tickets danced about the back of her mind, keeping a distracted grin tugging at the edges of her mouth for the entirety of her shift. 

  
  


When her boss finally came over to their station to dismiss them, Rogelio let out an audible sigh of relief. He dragged a large hand across his head, pulling the sweat off with the fabric of his sleeves. The rest of the group followed suit. Lonnie actually bent a stream of cool water up to rest against her face. Catra couldn’t blame her, the only con she could find to being a firebender was that she could only create more heat, not cool herself off when she needed to. 

Scorpia moved over to where Catra was standing.

“Hey, so that thing isn’t until this evening. I’ve gotta make a stop before heading home so I’ll probably head out now, but I can meet you back at the hostel and we can go then?”

Catra nodded, she was secretly glad she would get to walk home alone, though she felt guilty that she was happy to see Scorpia leave after such a gesture. 

“Oooh what’s going on later, you got a date with Scorp, Catra?,” Lonnie teased. 

Catra glowered at her and punched her on the arm just below her tattoo. 

“Absolutely not. It’s none of your business.”

Lonnie smirked at her.

“Sounds like a date to me, but whatever you say.” 

She turned and linked her elbows with Rogelio’s and Kyle’s, and the trio began marching off, Kyle stumbling to keep pace with Rogelio’s long strides and Lonnie’s determined gate. It was no secret that the three of them were dating, and in fact they all lived in the same apartment, splitting rent three ways with whatever poor wages they were afforded by the steel factory. 

Catra had a few hours to kill before the sun set, so she decided to take the long route home. She pulled away from the throng of workers clocking out and lazily walked down the sidewalk. The hustle and bustle, though still present, had slowed down some since her morning shift. It would probably be picking up again soon, when the rest of the city got off work. 

Though the city was dirty and plagued with its fair share of issues, Catra had to admit it had a beauty to it. Towering buildings loomed to either side, and the glow of artificial lights and sounds all around provided a uniquely human atmosphere. The air was grimy and at times practically unbreathable, but it wasn’t uncommon for a blissful waft of cooking food or incense or some other delicious aroma to drift out on the breeze. Republic City was a hub of culture, and the variety of restaurants had to be one of Catra’s favorite things about the city. 

She was just considering stopping by her favorite shop to grab a snack on the way when her train of thought was interrupted by a loud bang. She looked over to see a Satomobile stalling in the street, choking smoke out of the engine. A woman was sitting in the driver’s seat, cursing. The door opened and she stepped out. Catra was definitely not taken aback, nor did she stop and stare, nor did she spend a very long moment trying to remember what breathing felt like. In fact, this woman was absolutely not extremely tall and burly, with obvious muscles rippling under her dark skin, nor was she built like an ox who could probably lift a building if she tried.

Shaking her head to recover from the near-immediate crush Catra did not at all just form, she adjusted her shirt and strode cockily over. 

“Engine troubles?”

She was aiming for cool and confident, but her voice cracked slightly. _Engine troubles?_ _Really? That was your smooth opening line?_ She reprimanded herself internally. The woman glanced over to her, brown eyes instantly locking with Catra’s own blue and yellow ones. She gulped. 

“I don’t even know! He just stopped!”

“He?”

“Uh yeah, Swift Wind, my car. Obviously.”

Catra chortled at that.

“Sorry, your car has a name?”

“Shut up! It’s not that weird. What do you want anyway?”

“Relax princess, I work over at the factory. If I can’t fix, uh, ‘Swift Wind,’ no one can.” 

The woman huffed and crossed her arms. 

“Fine. Take a look.”

She gestured with her hands as if to say “be my guest.”

Catra began inspecting the car, looking for the source of the problem. 

“You got a jack?”

“What? Who’s Jack?”

“No, dumbass. The thing that cranks the car up so you can look under it.”

“Oh, uh…”

She paused for a moment, before she shifted position. She smoothly moved into a solid stance, stomping a foot into the street below her. The pavement beneath the car rose up into the air, obeying her strike.

_Huh_ , Catra thought. _This girl’s an earthbender then._

Wordlessly, she descended to her knees to check for leaks or damages. After a moment of appraisal, she stood again. 

“Alright, whatever’s wrong with it is in the engine. That’s good, makes my job easier.”

She pointed a finger downward, silently commanding the woman to drop the car again. She obliged, bending the street back to its original shape. Catra unlatched the hood and pushed it up. Another cloud of smoke rose to meet her face. Waving it away with her hands, she glanced over the engine. After a moment’s pause, she located the issue.

“Oh, yeah this’ll be an easy fix. Ol’ Sato likes to cut corners for maximum profit. This kind of thing happened pretty often.”

Catra leaned forward to get a better position. She grabbed the problem area, a wire that had come loose, and set it back in place. With a flash of light, she bent lightning against the wire, instantly sautering it into place against the metal it was supposed to be connected to. Shifting the entire unit to the side, there was a _clunk_ as she slid the dislodged belt back over its track.

“There. Try it now.” 

The woman nodded and walked over to the drivers side. Twisting the key in the ignition, the engine sputtered to life, a low growl emitting from it, particularly loud with the hood open and not muffling it. The woman let out a cry of exitement. 

“Thank you!” She walked over to Catra, extending a hand. Catra took it as she closed the hood of the car. “My name’s Adora, by the way.”

“Catra.”

Adora mouthed her name a few times. 

“Catra. Catra. That’s a pretty name.”

“Thanks, I chose it myself.”

She winked. Adora looked slightly confused but did not comment on it.

“Alright, well. Don’t go breaking your damn car again, I guess. But if you do, swing by the factory on my lunch break. ‘S at noon.” 

Awkwardly, she stuffed her hands in her pockets. Adora beamed and nodded at her a few times.

“I will! I mean, I’ll try not to. But if I do, I will. Did that make sense?”

Catra rolled her eyes, laughing.

“Yeah dork, it did. See ya.”

She threw up a peace sign and began walking away. She expected to hear the sounds of the engine revving as Adora left, but it didn’t come. Glancing back, she caught Adora staring at her as she walked. When she caught her eye, the woman quickly turned and rushed over to the door, pretending she hadn’t been looking. That was… something. Today was turning out a lot better than expected.

—————————————————

Catra slipped through the door of the hostel as evening was coming on. After meandering about in the park, contentedly snacking on a large pretzel, Catra had walked back with a spring in her step. She couldn’t get the girl she had met earlier out of her mind, and honestly, it didn’t bother her that much. She kinda had a thing for muscular women. A bit. Maybe. 

Still, excitement had turned to dread as she approached her current lodging. It was the cheapest she could get, and she knew that meant she could get out faster, but the landlord’s constant abuse and even blackmail made Catra want to avoid the place like the damn plague. 

She let out a quiet sigh of relief as she saw Madam Weaver’s doors were closed, which usually meant she was asleep. It also meant Catra would get a free pass from being verbally attacked for the night. Padding over to her cramped living quarters, Catra slid the door closed and sat down on her bed. There was about an hour left before nightfall, and Catra wanted to get a bit of rest before her excursion with Scorpia. She glanced over at the pro-bending poster she had on her wall and smirked. Soon, the three benders standing out from the page would be more than just drawings, soon they’d be real and alive. She had to admit, she was _really_ giddy. 

She’d found the flyer a few months ago stapled to a telephone pole, and decided to keep it. It depicted the now famous Fire Ferrets, the bending team who had the actual Avatar on it. How that was fair to the competitors, Catra had no idea. The three Ferrets were wearing masks in the picture, but the forms of Korra, Mako, and Bolin were unmistakable. Catra wondered to herself if she would be lucky enough to see them live. _Don’t get your hopes up,_ she reminded herself. _This is gonna be an experience with or without the Avatar there._

  
  


She spent the rest of her time waiting sitting comfortably back with her hands behind her head, daydreaming about the coming show. Her trance was broken by the clumsy bumps and thuds of Scorpia stooping to enter the low doorframe of the main entrance. _Guess I should clean up some before we go,_ she thought.

Catra slid down off her mattress and pulled her drawer open, scanning the small collection of clothes available. She decided on a cozy pair of sweatpants (they were colored in a way that you could get away with them without comments) and form fitting v-neck. She slid on her favorite black leather coat, anticipating the chill that would surely come with the night. Pulling on her tattered, well-worn brown boots, she poked her head out of the door. 

Scorpia waved a greeting as she caught sight of her. She finished untangling herself from whatever she was stuck on and stood up. 

“Hiya Catra! You ready to get going?”

Catra nodded in affirmation. 

“Sure thing then! Let me just drop something off in my room and we can head out.”

Catra noticed a wrapped brown parcel clutched in Scorpia’s mittened hands. She walked past and disappeared into her room down the hall. After a moment, she walked back out, closing and locking the door behind her. Catching up to where Catra was standing, the two began their walk towards the massive stadium at the center of town. 

Catra’s breath turned to crystal in front of her, freezing in the air before floating off and vanishing into the black. Between the midday sun and hours of firebending, Catra was always caught off guard by how much colder she felt in comparison when night finally fell. It was early winter, after all. Rubbing her hands together (and subtly adding a hint of flame to speed up the process), she quickened her pace slightly, hoping that moving would help warm her up. 

Scorpia seemed equally bothered by the cold. She was shaking visibly and bundling her coat even closer to herself. Catra stopped walking. Scorpia glanced over, eyes questioning. Without saying a word, Catra gestured for Scorpia to open her jacket. She looked confused, but obliged. Catra reached up, palms glowing orange like coals in a hearth as she controlled a small but steady source of heat to radiate from her palms. She hovered her hands around Scorpia, moving over her arms and torso, and slowly the shivering abated. 

When she had finished, Scorpia zipped her coat back up quickly to try and persevere the warmth. She beamed at Catra.

“Thank you! You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah well, all your teeth chattering was giving me a headache, okay? That’s it.”

“You know you’re allowed to admit you like me, right?”

Catra scoffed and shoved Scorpia, though she didn’t budge much due to her bulk. 

“I do _not_ like you, okay! Ugh I knew you’d make this weird.”

She continued walking, and Scorpia rushed to catch up. She neglected to mention that this was a small way of thanking Scorpia for her kindness. She likely wouldn’t have done it otherwise. 

  
  


As they arrived in the plaza outside the stadium, the crowd of people was already dense. It was difficult to find any sort of line, though they did manage with a few moments of walking and asking around. A sea of bodies was shifting and shoving as they stood, and the cries of people trying to sell food, drinks, and cheap nick-nacks filled the air. Slowly, the line shuffled forward. As they approached the massive double doors, Catra looked up at the huge dome of glass and metal looming above her. The building seemed to take up her entire field of view. It was breathtaking. 

She started as a stern but bored sounding voice rang out next to her. 

“Tickets, please.”

She glanced over to see a bouncer, dressed in typical metalbender armor. He looked like he’d rather be enforcing any other building than this one. Scorpia pulled the tickets out from her pockets and offered them over. He tore off two slips on dotted lines and handed the papers back. Nodding, he gestured towards the doors and turned his attention to the next people in line. Taking a breath of anticipation, Catra and Scorpia stepped into the stadium.

It was even more massive-looking on the inside. People were pushing and chattering as they looked for their seats. Stone steps that doubled as chairs lined the oval room, market with small golden plates identifying their row and number. Scorpia passed a ticket over to Catra. 

“Looks like we’re at F13 and F12,” she shouted over the cacophony of voices. Catra nodded and the pair began shoving their way through to look for their spots. She glanced over to the right and saw the arena, a suspended platform set over a pool of deep water. Seeing it in person felt so much different than seeing it in pictures or described over the radio. It was smaller than she was expecting, but amazing nonetheless. After a tedious struggle of shoving and sliding, they found the small metal markers indicating their seats. 

The bustle of confusion slowed as more and more people found their spots and sat down. As the clock struck 8, the lights in the arena suddenly darkened dramatically.

“Gooood evening folks, and welcome to Republic City’s world-renowned pro-bending arena!”

The tinny voice of an announcer projected over speakers filled the stadium, and was met with cries and cheers from the crowd. 

“We’ve got an exciting lineup for you all tonight, so I hope you’re all ready to get this show on the road! We’re starting right away, please give it up for the Badger Moles!”

The crowd erupted with a roar, some people cheering, others jeering. Spotlights illuminated the left side of the stadium, where a bridge was forming to the arena and across it were striding three people, glad in earthy green uniforms. The figure in the middle threw his hands up to hype the audience.

“Aaand on the right, all the way from Ba Sing Se, the one, the only, Turtle Ducks! Don’t be fooled by their cute appearance folks, those birds can bite!”

An equal response was given as the second team stepped out, wearing blue. Catra and Scorpia cheered for both, as they didn’t really have a team preference. The six competitors stepped to the center, taking up defensive positions. A clanging bell filled the air, and the match began.

Instantly, the two sides erupted into an aggressive dance of bending. The waterbender for the Turtle Ducks lashed a spinning disc out of the air, shattering it before it could strike her teammate. In response, the Badger Mole’s earth and firebenders teamed up; a blast of flame propelling another green disc forward even harder. It found its mark, smashing into the Turtle Duck earthbender’s chest and sending him sprawling back, stepping across the zone line, which flashed and beeped.

“Ooh!!! That’s a nasty blow from Yin and Osai there! Will Santo be able to recover from that fiery strike?? His teammates are gonna need it!”

It was true, after that the Badger Moles had taken on an aggressive play style; fire and earth on offense while the waterbender deflected oncoming attacks. The Turtle Duck firebender shouted something inaudible to his team, who both nodded. 

A spurt of flame licked the air inches away from the opposing waterbender’s head. She stepped back, focusing on the fire and failing to notice the jet of water that piled into her abdomen. She was knocked back a zone, and the tag team became triple teaming as a disc of earth flew from zone two on the opposing side, crashing into her and sending her flying off the edge.

“OHH AND AMA IS SENT INTO THE DRINK! Things are starting to look bad for the Badger Moles. Can they come back from this disadvantage!?”

Catra was on the edge of her seat, leaning as far forward as possible to watch the match. Her eyes were glued to the two firebenders in particular, watching as they locked into a one-on-one battle. She imagined herself standing there, her own flames blazing into her opponent and sending them flying onto their back. The Badger Moles shifted play style once again, firebender staying offensive while the earthbender now moved to keep his teammate safe. Locked in battle with the firebender, he was left open for a clean strike to the chest from the disc. The blaring of the arena accompanied him stumbling back to join his teammate. The crowd roared as the Badger Moles advanced.

“Looks like losing a player hasn’t affected the Badgers tonight, as they’re moving into Turtle territory!” 

Two earth discs exploded against one another, showering both sides with flecks of dust and rock. It was evident the Badger Moles were starting to lose their footing. Catra yowled in animated shock as their firebender was sent flying back four zones and off the platform as the Turtle Duck water bender grabbed her earthbender’s disc and flung it at him. Clearly the rest of the crowd shared in Catra’s astonishment, as they joined in her cry.

“I cannot believe my eyes here folks!! The Turtle Ducks have turned the Badger Mole’s tactic against them and sent Osai to his watery defeat!! Is this the end for the Badger Moles?”

The answer came quickly. Though he danced and defended as best he could, the earthbender was up against three benders, and barely stood a chance. Flames licked the chest of his uniform, leaving black soot behind as a circle of flying stone came screaming into his abdomen. His fate was sealed as a jet of water propelled him back and over the edge. 

The audience, Catra and Scorpia included, erupted to their feet, cheering and screaming.

“They’ve done it! Things looked bleak for the Turtle Ducks but by the stars they’ve done it!”

The three teammates high-fived and threw their hands up in victory, pandering to the crowd as they made their exit to raccause applause. 

“I sure hope that opener whetted your appetites everyone because we’ve got another thrilling match lined up for ya!”

Riding off the excitement generated by the last match, the next trio made their way into the spotlight. 

“Here we have returning champs and crowd favorites, give it up for the Kangadillos!!”

The audience was happy to oblige, claps and stomps thundering the stage. Catra’s voice was already hoarse from screaming in excitement. 

“And our newest up and coming team, they’ve cut through their opponents with shocking speed these past couple of weeks. Let’s give a warm welcome to the Spirit Koi!!” 

Out marched a cocky looking team, waving and jumping in excitement. Catra cocked her head. _Could that be…?_ The girl in the center was extremely tall and jacked, dramatically flexing for the crowd to garner some extra hype. Catra shook her head. This was clearly just a coincidence. Still, she craned her neck in, staring intently and trying to catch a glimpse of her face. 

The second the bell rang, and the Spirit Koi were off, sending a barrage of elements hurling towards their opponents before they had a chance to react. The girl in the center held still, keeping a strong stance and using her arms to guide the earth discs directly past her own head. The girl to her right, significantly shorter and with a visible shock of pink hair poking from her helmet, let out a two handed spray of fire at two competitors at once. The boy to her left looped his water around himself like an infinity symbol, sending small whips out to lash at their opponents, keeping them distracted and on their toes. 

Watching them working in unison was mesmerizing. Catra was no longer jumping and cheering, but standing perfectly still, eyes dancing across the arena in awe. The Kangadillos were struggling to keep rhythm as the fire and waterbender on the Spirit Koi’s team sent out small bursts while the girl in the middle threw disc after disc. In a desperate attempt to gain a hand up, the waterbender blasted nearly his whole supply at the girl in the center. Her shift from offense to defense happened in a split second, three discs floating up to guard her face and torso. She leaned in and crossed her arms behind the makeshift wall, letting the stinging needles of water fly past her shoulders harmlessly.

Now defenseless, he was unable to stop the balls of flames striking him one after the other. He was pushed steadily back, before, flailing and yelling, he was shoved off the edge.

“OHHH and Koto’s going for a swim! The Spirit Koi are moving with surgical precision tonight! I would _not_ wanna be on the other side of those three.”

The two remaining Kangadillos changed up their style, throwing feints and jabs of obviously fake shots in an attempt to throw off the Spirit Koi’s groove. It was only staving off the inevitable, as that earthbender managed to knock them back a zone with just one disc ricocheting from one chest to the other. The ref gave a quick whistle blow to signal the Koi forward. 

The Kangadillos were clearly afraid now. They decided to forgo the rules with two illegal shots in a row. The firebender sent a jet of flames dancing directly into the opposing girl’s face, sending her stumbling back in surprise. As the muscular woman turned to her teammate, another headshot, this time from the earthbender, struck her helmet, cracking the glass and actually sending it flying off. The audience booed and jeered as it spun off the platform and into the pool below.

When the girl recovered her footing, Catra could see the unmistakable black frizzy hair pulled back into that same poofy ponytail, it was obvious now that this was no mere coincidence. She broke her silence to join the surrounding spectators in booing the Kangadillos.

“Looks like the Kangadillos are fighting dirty, they hit Glimmer _and_ Adora with headshots which are strictly against the rules. The Dillos lose one zone. This leaves them teetering over the brink of defeat!”

The Spirit Koi, after checking on Glimmer, moved forward into the Dillos’ second zone. The bell rang, and the three delivered a devastating finisher almost instantly. As if communicating without speaking, Adora slid to Glimmer’s side, letting her take the middle position. She lobbed a single disc to the right which arced over and struck the firebender, sending him stumbling to the side. On the left, the yet-to-be-named waterbender sent a sizable stream to shove back the earthbender. This happened at the same time, so the pair crashed into each other. With them now lined up perfectly, Glimmer put both her fists together and punched. A massive jet of flame engulfed the Kangadillos, sending them flying out of the arena and into the waters below. 

“And with that, the Spirit Koi have secured another astonishing victory! I have never seen teamwork like that in all my years commentating! I’m tellin’ ya folks, this team is worth keeping an eye on.”

Catra could feel her ears beginning to ring at the deafening level of the applause. She screamed at the top of her lungs, cheering for Adora, and her voice was drowned out instantly the second it left her lips. The team began turning, slowly looking around their supporters with their hands in the air. Catra could see Adora smiling even from her seat, ignoring the clear bruise forming on the side of her forehead. 

Her heart stopped as she could swear those deep brown eyes locked with hers. There was no way she could see her all the way up here, right? Still, she didn’t look away as the Spirit Koi made their way back off the stage, after several indulgent and flashy bows acknowledged the small earthquake being caused in celebration of their victory.

  
  


The rest of the matches went by like a blur. Of course Catra was glued to the scene the entire time, but she couldn’t get Adora’s face out of her mind. She knew the odds were almost impossible that they would bump into each other again, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Adora had known she was there. The way those umber irises had drank in the sight of her, the smile still ghosting her lips, how she had stared at Catra as she walked away… needless to say she was more than preoccupied as the other games played out. 

By the time the night was over, Catra could barely even register Scorpia tapping her arm to ask her if she was ready to go. Stepping out into the cold night, Catra imagined the biting chill of the air was an opponent’s water striking her, to which she would retaliate with a fierce flurry of flames. She couldn’t help but let her mind soak in alternate realities in which Catra was a pro-bender instead of a welder, reveling in the applause.

Scorpia laughed and pumped the air with her fists as they left.

“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!! The way they were like _whap, crack, whip_ and those Dillos were like _nooo please!_ Hahahaa, they got their _asses_ handed to them.”

She acted out her onomatopeyas, punching invisible foes. Clearly she wasn’t the only one still buzzed from the excitement of the sport. Catra had to join in recounting her favorite parts, though she always seemed to come back around to the Spirit Koi. Scorpia didn’t seem to notice, after all they had been the most impressive performance by far.

The walk back to the hostel was filled with giddy conversation between the two.

Catra didn’t put up her usual icy walls, not tonight. She at least owed Scorpia that much for the amazing experience. So she allowed herself to laugh and joke along with her, their voices echoing along the streets as they whooped and hollered. 

Their volume lowered as they came into view of their residence. Neither of them wanted scathing comments from Shadow Weaver about what noisy pests they were. As Catra saw the door, she was reminded of a small curiosity bugging the back of her mind.

“Hey Scorp, what was that package you brought back for?”

Scorpia’s expression changed to something… odd. Mischievous maybe? Embarrassed?

“Oh, that old thing? Don’t worry about it. It’s just… a present. For someone. You don’t know them.”

She teasingly punched her on the shoulder.

“Oh yeah, just someone? Do they got a secret admirer, Scorpia?”

The flushed embarrassment in her face gave away the answer to that question.

“It doesn’t matter. Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, she does. Now leave it alone. You owe me.”

“Fair, fair. I won’t pick on you about your new girlfriend.”

Scorpia spluttered slightly.

“G-girlfriend? Perfuma is not my girlfriend. I mean- that person is not my girlfriend. You know what just forget I said anything at all okay? Okay. Glad that’s settled goodnight bye Catra” 

The last two sentences could barely be counted as such as Scorpia said all the words as fast as possible. Entering the hostel, she made a b-line for her room.

“Scorpia, hold on a second,” Catra called after her. She turned back to look at her.

“Thank you. For tonight. I had an amazing time.”

Scorpia gave her a soft smile.

“Me too.”

And then she vanished behind her door. Letting out a quiet sigh of contentment, Catra headed over to her own room. Closing the door, she reached into her bag. She had brought back a souvenir from their night out. Grabbing a spare tack, she hung it next to the poster of The Fire Ferrets. Staring cockily down from her wall were The Spirit Koi. Catra was really only interested in one member in particular: Adora. She sat down on her bed, the night’s events still flicking through her mind as she stared up at the poster. She could swear the cheers of the crowd were still audible, like the feeling of water clinging to the skin even after you exit a pool. Sighing quietly to herself, Catra spent most of the night with her knees curled up to her chest, just staring and remembering. 


	2. And The Winner Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra meets Adora once again. The two go to meet Bow and Glimmer, and the four of them spend an interesting night together.

Another day, another grueling shift at the factory. Catra had overslept, and had to sprint across half the city in order to be there in time. Her day had not improved when a flaw in the metal she was heating caused a piece to fly off at Scorpia’s hammer strike, leaving a stinging slit across her cheek that blistered and burned as she held her water bottle against it. Honestly, Scorpia’s repeated apologies were almost worse than the wound itself. On the bright side, she figured it would probably leave a pretty gnarly looking scar. 

The hours droned on, and Catra repeated lighting, heat, hammer, lightning, heat, hammer, over and over until the strikes of metal against metal or water sawing through steel felt like a rude and unwelcome knock against her skull more than a sound. The buzzing squeal of the grinders polishing off their portions of the cars did not help to abate the headache that was slowly but surely forming behind Catra’s temples. Soot covered her hands and face and kept getting in her eyes, and getting the ash out from beneath her nails was basically hopeless. 

  
  


Grizzlor seemed extra irritated today as well, and took it out on his employees. Several times throughout the shift, he had come over just to bark at them to start over, pointing to minuscule flaws in their work as causes for harsh verbal reprimand. He also “forgot” to signal their lunch break, meaning they had an extra 15 minutes shaved off the first part of it. 

Scowling and cursing, Catra sauntered outside. The patio was slowly filling with workers, and the usual chatter was already in the air as they made their way over to the tables. As she stepped through the door, something caught Catra’s eye. Or, more accurately, some _ one _ . Adora was standing at the edge of the fence, leaning casually against the metal pole. Catra tensed up and nearly froze at the sight.  _ What the hell was she doing here? _ She tried to recover, rubbing a hand over her face and shoving them in her pockets as she sauntered over, trying to hide how grimy she was. 

“Hey, Adora. What brings you out here? Break your car again?”

Adora shifted so that she was standing closer to where Catra had stopped. 

“Nah, just felt like paying a visit. Since you were kind enough to stop by my job, I thought I’d return the favor.”

Catra blushed.  _ So she did see me in the crowd then? _

“Yeah, well, I’ve gotta say working in a factory is a lot less glorious and interesting then pro-bending. I didn’t know you were a bigshot.” 

“Ok, we aren’t  _ bigshots,  _ not yet anyway. And plus, seems like a perfectly respectable position.”

Catra gestured to her tattered and dirty clothes and the fresh wound on her face.

“Well, not everything is as it seems. This place is a shithole of worker extortion and veritable torture. Seriously, I’d rather be anywhere else.”

“About that…”

Adora grinned, similarly to how Scorpia had the other day.

“Since I’m a competitor in the arena, I’m allowed to bring a guest back there free of charge for any game.”

Catra cocked her head slightly.

“Uh… good for you? And?”

Adora looked slightly miffed, like she was expecting Catra to suddenly have some big realization.

“And I wanna bring you, dummy. If you want to, that is.”

Catra did a double take. Adora wanted to bring… her? A filthy lower class worker she had only met once?

“Um… why me?”

She barely managed to squeak out her question, and suddenly became very, very aware of just how handsome Adora was. 

“Call it payment for helping me on Friday. Plus, I just have a feeling about you.”

Catra ran a hand through her hair nervously.

“I sure hope it’s a good feeling.”

Adora smiled kindly at her. 

“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be offering.”

Catra searched her face, eyes darting to each feature, desperately trying to find any tells of deception. She was still half convinced that Adora was about to say something along the lines of ‘sike, got you you street rat, why would I wanna bring a lowlife like you?’ But it didn’t come. Adora kept looking at her with a soft and welcoming expression. It almost looked like affection, even though they barely knew each other.

“So… are you game?”

Catra fumbled for words as she made eye contact. When she was unable to form a cohesive sentence, she just nodded. Adora lit up with excitement. It looked like she had almost been nervous about Catra’s answer.  _ Why the hell would she be nervous? Shouldn’t she be hoping I say no? _

“Awesome!! What time does your shift end? I can come and pick you up then.”

“I, uh… you don’t have to. I mean, I can just walk, it’s not that far.”

“Nonsense. It’d be rude of me to ask you out and then not give you a ride.”

At the very intense expression Catra gave her at that comment, which bordered on panic, Adora clarified,

“Wait wait not like that. I just meant asked to take you somewhere. Whatever, just tell me when.”

Catra, against her will, felt her heart sink when Adora had backpedaled to insist she was not asking her out. She knew she would never have a shot with someone of her league, but she couldn’t help being a little disappointed.

“I get off at 4. Maybe a bit later, Grizzlor’s being a dick today.” 

Adora nodded happily at her.

“Perfect! I’ll be by then. Look for my car!”

She hummed cheerfully to herself as she left the patio area, leaving Catra to stare after her. The experience seemed almost surreal, and Catra had to keep glancing at the slowly shrinking figure of Adora to reassure herself that it had happened at all. A few moments after she had disappeared around a corner, Catra walked back over to the tables, distractedly taking out her food. If she hadn’t felt a pang of hunger, she probably would’ve forgotten to eat entirely, opting to just stare out where Adora had been. 

As usual, the second half of her shift was more smooth than the first. And for the second time in a row, Catra had something to look forward to that practically ate away her attention as she worked. The drone of the factory faded into the background as excitement mingled with the memories of the last pro-bending game. Confusion was there too. Mostly, Catra was having a hard time believing someone like Adora had any interest in someone like her. 

Catra glanced up and caught a glimpse of the unmistakable Horde tattoo on Lonnie’s arm as she focused on her work. Catra could almost feel the symbol she had on her own shoulder prickling and itching at her. If Adora saw  _ that _ , would she still want anything to do with Catra? She couldn’t imagine so. Catra couldn’t bring herself to ditch, but she made herself promise that she wouldn’t let herself open up to Adora. She could put up a façade like usual, but if Adora ever peeled it back, Catra was terrified she would be disgusted by the girl she found there. She was undeniably looking forward to tonight, but a creeping anxiety had come over her as well. 

  
  


Finally, the shriek of Grizzlor’s whistle signaled the end of her workday. Scorpia had been surprisingly quiet and reserved, but Catra didn’t really mind, usually her chatter was distracting and occasionally irritating. She stopped by the rundown bathrooms to try and make herself a bit more presentable. She splashed water on her face and tried to scrub as much filth off as possible. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to poof it up some. Catra was proud of her mane of frizzy black curls, and was smug about the fact that she had managed to avoid brushing it for the past several years. 

Once she decided she was looking as good as she was gonna get, she made her way out, cutting through the zigzagging workstations to get to the door as quickly as possible. It was late afternoon, but still plenty bright out. The sky was surprisingly clear, and the air was chilly and crisp. Glancing around, Catra saw a Satomobile idling near the curb. As she walked over, Adora gave her a friendly wave. 

Catra slid into the passenger seat. The backing was red upholstery, and surprisingly comfortable. Adora gave her a warm greeting. 

“Good to see you! I’m glad you didn’t skip out on me.”

Geez, could she really read Catra so easily? It almost made her uncomfortable, and the unmissable anxiety rose a little higher into her throat. She managed out a nervous “haha yep.”

“We’ve gotta stop and pick up Bow on the way, and then you can hang with us in the back room while we warm up.”

Catra, though she was still flustered, managed to crack a joke.

“Is that another one of your cars?”

Adora rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“When are you gonna let that go? Bow is our waterbender,  _ and  _ a close personal friend might I add.” 

“What about the short one? Sparkles?”

“Glimmer. And she’s got a ride. Her mom is a diplomat for the fire nation actually, and they live pretty close to the arena.”

“Geez.”

Several scathing thoughts about the upper class crossed Catra’s mind, but she bit her tongue, deciding that insulting Adora’s friends was probably not the best idea.

The car vibrated and purred as Adora steered it down the street. It had been a long time since Catra had been in one, she mostly walked everywhere. To Catra’s surprise, Adora had a tendency to speed. She didn’t mind it, the rebellious smirk on her face as she accelerated past the speed limit was actually adorable. The wind blowing past was refreshing as well. She sat comfortably with her hands in her lap, watching the buildings of Republic City drift by. Crowds of people flew past, street lamps and trash cans started blurring together with a hypnotic consistency. 

By the time Adora slowed down and pulled into a crowded lot, Catra’s hair was blown back and sticking up in a mess that she imagined made her look a tad crazy. Deciding it was more of a unique flair, she decided to own it, hopping over the side of the convertible instead of opening the door and landing with a crunch on gravel beneath. The building ahead of them was two-stories, with large windows on the upper floor spanning from floor to ceiling. Bookshelves were visible from within. 

“I thought we were getting your friend, not stopping for a book haul.”

“We are, Bow’s dads own the library.”

Huh, well that did make more sense then. Catra wordlessly followed Adora as their feet sunk loudly into the loose grey pebbles beneath. Adora was looking up, scanning the windows. Evidently she had found what she was looking for, as she raised a hand and made a flicking motion. A small rock from beneath them flew up, tapping against the window before clattering back down. A tall, broad-shouldered boy was sitting in a chair reading. He jumped as the stone clacked next to him. Adora gave an exaggerated smile and waved. He returned the expression, and then gestured as if to say ‘be right there," rising and disappearing from view. 

After a moment of standing and tapping their feet, a side door opened and the boy emerged. He waved again as he walked over.

“Hi! My name’s Bow. It’s so nice to meet you!”

His voice was a tad squeaky, but enthusiastic. Catra awkwardly stuck a hand out to shake.

“This is Catra, she’s the girl I was telling you about the other day.”

Catra’s stomach did a loop.  _ Adora was talking about me? What was she saying? _ A quick jab of fear that she had been mocking her clenched her gut, but she shook it off. 

“Uh, hi. Nice to see you too?”

Catra was not particularly social, and meeting new people was always extremely uncomfortable. Adora gestured over towards the car and began walking. Bow fell into stride with her, leaving Catra to scurry behind them to keep up. The two chatted about match statistics and drills, which sounded like another language to Catra. When they arrived at the car, Bow hopped in the back, leaving Catra to once again sit next to Adora.

“Are you sure you don’t want me sitting back there? I’m not trying to push my way into your friend group.”

“Nonsense, you’re a guest! Sit up front, I usually sit back here anyway. I get to put my feet up, it’s comfy.”

"Bow, I've told you so many times if you put your gross shoes on my nice seats I'll earthbend your ass into oncoming traffic."

He waved away Adora's reprimands, grinning innocently at her. Catra hesitated for a moment longer, but when Adora nodded and smiled at her, she shrugged and tugged the door open, sliding back into the passenger seat. The ride to the arena was more tense than the ride from the factory, at least for Catra. Maybe it was the added person she didn’t know well, or maybe it was just nerves. Either way, she couldn’t help but squirm in her seat for most of the ride. 

The massive glass dome came into view a solid minute before they arrived, it was one of the biggest buildings in the entire city, after all. Adora steered towards a back lot, which was gated off with an attendant standing by. She rolled up to where they were standing, leaning in arm over the side of the door casually. 

“Name and ID card, please.”

“Come on, Umi, is this really necessary? I know you know me.”

“Sorry, company policy.”

Adora reached under her visor and pulled a card out.

“Adora Grayskull.”

The attendant glared intently at the card, before handing it back and nodding. They stepped forward, thrusting the air with their hands, to which the metal gate swung open. They hadn’t been wearing typical earth kingdom clothes or metalbender armor, so Catra was slightly surprised to see it. Adora waved as she slowly drove through. Picking a free space, the three of them hopped out. 

“Ok. It’s about 5 now, so we have about a half hour before Glim gets here. Then we’ve got, um… 2 and a half hours after that before our first match.”

Bow nodded, sliding his backpack over his shoulder. Catra hesitated.

“So, am I like, allowed back here? I’m not a participant.”

“Yeah, like I said, I can get people in without asking. And plus, I’m close with our boss. If he had a problem with it I’d just say you’re with me and he’d let it go.”

Catra nodded and followed the two burly figures. She felt small compared to them, and she didn’t like it. She was still half-convinced this was all some prank, but she walked tentatively after them. 

Entering the arena before the crowds was strange. Their footsteps echoed loudly and it felt extremely empty. Catra became self-conscious of her own breathing, wondering if it was too loud.  Adora and Bow led her past the main stadium and into a back area. Training equipment and other exercise gear was strewn about the open room. Bow set his bag down and he and Adora began stretching. Catra stood awkwardly, not really sure what to do with herself.

“There’s a bench over there if you just wanna sit, Catra. Or you could warm up with us if you get bored.”

Catra nodded and walked over to the bench, crossing her legs. Bow and Adora took up their positions wordlessly. It was clear that they were the kind of people who had their schedules memorized to the T. Adora assumed her usual bending stance, facing a dummy in the corner. Bow pulled some water from a nearby pouch, but instead of attacking a target, he moved it over to Adora instead. 

His water circled around her arms, forming resistance. It was only then that Adora began punching earth discs forward. She looked extremely focused as she pushed hard against the water that was fighting her every move. Still, she managed to send her plates of stone soaring on target every time. This continued for a while, until Adora put a hand up to signal she was ready to stop for a moment. 

The two traded places. Bow brought the water belt back to the same position he’d held it in during his previous match, with it slowly rotating around his midsection. Adora’s roll was to chuck earth discs at him so he could practice blocking them. Occasionally he simply batted them out of the way, but a lot of the time he actually used the water like an extension of his hands, snatching the earth out of the air and letting it clatter harmlessly to the floor below.

Even though they were just sparring, Catra was enamored. The way these two used their bending was magnitudes different to the way she was used to. She supposed they would need to be flexible, as the conditions under which they were bending were much different to hers. Still, it was almost mesmerizing to watch them practice. When Adora had run out of discs, she meandered over to Catra.

“Wanna help with this next part. I usually do it with Glimmer, but she isn’t here yet.”

“Uh… sure.”

She stood up, not sure where to stand or what to do. Adora moved across from her.

“Just chuck some fireballs at me. This is how I practice defense.”

Catra felt like throwing fire at her friends was maybe not the best bonding activity, but she shrugged. She twitched sharply, throwing her fist forward. As she moved, she felt the familiar tingle in her digits as she allowed a bolt of flames to form around her fist, before being propelled forward. Acting just as quickly, Adora stomped and sent a disc up like a shield to protect herself. Catra threw another bout of fire, which Adora once again deflected. 

Ok, now Catra was starting to feel competitive. She raised her fists and tried to mimic Adora’s stance, slowly circling her and occasionally jabbing flames to dance across her discs. Without fail, Adora deftly blocked them all, without needing to move. Catra decided to mix things up. Using a trick she had learned when she was more active with the Horde, she tossed a streak of fire quickly to the right. The moment she saw Adora shift her disc to meet it, she jabbed her other hand out and sent another bolt to the left. The first ball struck the shield and dissipated harmlessly, which was just fine, as it was the distraction blow. Adora yelped as she noticed too late the stream of flames coming directly for her. Breaking her stance, she stumbled out of the way, barely dodging the tongue of fire in time. 

Catra was not going to let this moment slip. She threw another bit of fire, and another, slowly pressing forward, keeping Adora teetering on the edge of losing her balance. Finally, she thought back to the last match she had seen with the Spirit Koi. She decided to try the move she had seen Glimmer do. Adora was still off her center, and Catra punched forward with both fists and combined her blow into two. She felt a shiver run up her spine at the rush accompanied by this more powerful bending move. To her surprise, the fire blast hit Adora’s disc, shoving it back against her resistance. It pushed into her torso, and the last of her balance was lost as she tumbled back onto the floor.

Bow and Adora were still for a moment, in obviously stunned silence.

“Uhh… you guys alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Adora shook her hand and scrambled to her feet.

“No no I’m fine! That was just… impressive.”

Bow chimed in, “I honestly don’t think I’ve seen anyone break Adora’s stance like that. Like, ever.”

Catra’s chest swelled with pride.

“Well, maybe there’s more to me than you thought!”

She let her cockiness manifest as a crooked smirk. The trio jumped as a door opened and the pink-haired girl, Glimmer, rushed in.

“Sorry I’m late, I-“

She glanced at Catra, then at Adora, then at Catra again.

“Um. Who the fuck is this?”

“Glimmer!! Be polite. This is Catra. She’s my friend, I brought her here to see tonight’s game.”

Glimmer gave her a scrutinizing glare, scrunching up her nose and eyes almost comically. 

“Geez, nice to meet you too,” Catra chuckled nervously. The girl did not answer, but instead strode over to Bow and Adora.

“Ok, well, are we ready to start training?”

“Yup,” said Bow. “We already started, so you can just stretch up. Catra, can you spar with me next? I wanna see how that tactic translates to my waterbending!”

“Uh, sure.”

Glimmer looked up at him.

“What do you mean, her spar with you?”

Adora butted in, “Catra and I just practiced some. She’s good! She knocked me on my ass. But uh, it was only cus I let her.”

“Hey, was not! Just admit I beat you.”

They laughed, but their giggles died down as they saw Glimmer’s angry stare.

“Geez Sparkles, take it easy,” Catra grumbled under her breath. Taking up position with Bow, she began her volley once again. Sparring with Bow was a  _ completely  _ different experience than sparring with Adora. Whereas Adora employed power and sheer strength to hold her ground, taking attacks head on, Bow danced and weaved frustratingly. Half of her jets hit empty air as he simply ducked out of the way. Catra definitely liked sparring with Adora more, but she wasn’t going to back away from a challenge.

She tried mixing up the types of fire she threw at him, trying to poke at his defenses and get a feel for what would work best. A standard ball of fire was seemingly the easiest for him to avoid. A simple flick from his orbiting belt extinguished it. She tried a thin jet next, a trail of fire soaring past. This one he dodged, sidestepping and leaning slightly. Catra was gonna have to get creative and mix things up to break his groove. 

She tried a variation of the tactic that weakened Adora, this time with three attacks. The first was a fireball, which she correctly guessed Bow would counter instead of dodging. Then she sent out a jet to his left, before jabbing to the right. Bow made the same blunder as Adora, the water blocking the ball clouded his view so he only saw one jet coming. He stepped to the right and directly into the path of the other streak of fire, which struck him directly in the chest and sent him stumbling back. Catra ducked down low, sweeping out her leg and sending a horizontal stream of flames towards his feet to further throw him off. As he struggled to recover his balance, Catra ascended again, raising her hands in an x above her before violently whipping them down to her sides. A criss-cross streak of flames cut his defenses and delivered the final blow necessary to send Bow onto the floor. 

Catra heard Adora whoop in excitement as he fell. She turned back, blushing slightly, to see Adora cheering her on while Glimmer glared, hands on her hips.  _ What is her problem with me? _

“You want in, Sparkles?”

Glimmer pounded her fists together and squinted.

“Bet your ass I do. But I want offense this time. Sure, you can attack, but that’s nothing if you can’t hold your own when your opponents are hurling shit at your face.” 

“Challenge accepted.”

The two circled each other, staring intently. Suddenly, Glimmer lashed out, sending two blistering volleys towards Catra. She threw her four fingers forward to split the flames like she had learned at a young age. When they parted, she had to take a second to adjust, because Glimmer was in a completely different place. She shook it off and readied herself again. Yelling animatedly with each punch, Glimmer sent forth several more sporadic blows. They were wide, and the smoke slightly obscured Catra’s vision.

Once again, Glimmer had danced over to another part of the room before Catra had finished blocking. She knew she was just taking advantage of the distracting flames, but it really looked like this girl was teleporting. Glimmer sprung forward, turning her body to the side so that her hands were planted on the ground. She cartwheeled forward, using her feet to send two spiraling bursts of flame at Catra. She yelped and dodged, only to find Glimmer on the second half of her roll. As her feet came back down and her torso raised, her fists swung up and over her head, and with them came the telltale orange glow of impending fire. 

Catra hated to admit it, but this girl was good. They danced like this for several minutes, Catra barely avoiding some narrow blows. Finally, Glimmer got a hand up. She kicked her foot up with a jet of sparks, as if kicking sand at Catra’s face. When she threw a hand up to defend her eyes, she quickly learned that it was a harmless decoy. She also learned that getting hit square in the ribs by a jet of fire was not a nice experience. Even though she had slid on one of the protective vests, she still felt the searing heat and force of the blow. She stumbled back, and Glimmer came forward relentlessly. An all out storm of stream after stream finally saw Catra fall to the floor in defeat. 

“HAHA!! Kiss my ass!!”

“Yeah yeah, you’re a professional, what did you expect? Congrats on beating a lowly factory worker.”

“You’re just salty that you couldn’t hold your own against me.”

Yeah, that statement had some truth to it. Adora reached out a hand, helping her to her feet. Catra couldn’t help but notice the rough calluses that scraped against her own fingers as their hands met. Adora’s skin was surprisingly soft, apart from those hardened blisters. She lingered for a second longer on the floor, just so she could relish in the unfamiliar fluttering caused by the contact. Eventually though, she did rise and let go. 

“Why don’t y’all keep training. I should probably sit down and just watch.”

“Yeah, you run! Run back with your tail between your legs.”

Adora adopted a pained expression.

“Ok Glim, you can calm down now.”

She huffed, but did not say anything else. Catra sat and watched the rest of the warmup. They traded off partners, two practicing offense or defense while the other worked with the equipment. As time went on, Catra found it harder and harder to keep her eyes off Adora. She couldn’t help but stare at the muscles flexing beneath her shoulders, or the confidence with which she fought. When Bow and Glimmer were sparring, Adora moved to throw earth discs at a net target. This put Catra in a position where she was forced to exert every bit of mental strength she had to not stare at Adora’s calves as she assumed her steady fighting stance. Catra cursed the spirits for sticking her in a room with this burly girl and then telling her not to look. 

After nearly an hour of warming up, the three of them stopped. Grabbing water bottles, they sat down. Glimmer and Bow sat on one bench, and Adora unceremoniously flopped down next to Catra. 

“So! We usually grab dinner around now, and then we just get to do whatever before the match. Speaking of which, there’s a little room where teams wait to go out on stage. You get to watch from there! Best seats in the whole stadium.” 

Catra paused, not really sure what to say.

“So, I guess your friend doesn’t really like me much, huh?”

“I’m sure she’ll warm up to you. To be honest, the two of us clashed just as hard when we first met. But we gave each other a chance, and now I wouldn't trade our friendship for the world. Though, I guess we have Bow to thank for trying to work as a mediator for us. Just try not to let her get to you.”

Catra nodded. Another question was bothering her now. 

“I know I already asked this, but uh… why me? What made you decide to bring me here? We barely even know each other.”

It was Adora’s turn to look pensive. She waited for a moment, seemingly looking for the right words before answering.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I just…  _ felt  _ something about you. After you fixed Swifty,” (Catra snorted at the nickname, which earned her a punch to the arm), “I couldn’t get you out of my head. I kept thinking back to you. Your eyes. I kept seeing them. And then when I was bending on Friday, I felt this… tug? In the audience. And I couldn’t look up until the end of the game, but when I did, there were those eyes again. So I said fuck it. I want to get to know you, Catra. That’s why I brought you here.”

Catra opened and closed her mouth a few times, completely unsure of how she could respond to that. 

“I think I know what you mean.”

Adora turned her head quizzically.

“Just the whole, ‘couldn’t stop thinking about you’ thing. I had that too. But I just assumed I was just being hopeful. I didn’t really see any future in which we ran into each other again, so I guess you really caught me off guard when you actually showed up.”

“Why didn’t you think I would?”

“I mean… what does a famous pro-bending champ have to gain from talking to a pathetic nobody who’s going nowhere?”

Adora slipped her hands over Catra’s. She couldn’t help but feel a rising nervousness as Adora’s clumsy fingers met hers.

“You shouldn’t think like that. You aren’t pathetic, or a nobody. You’re really interesting! Would I spend a whole weekend thinking about someone who wasn’t worth being around?”

“I’m, uh… maybe I’m not really the person I seem like. Nobody’s ever stayed in the past, why would you feel the need to?”

Adora looked genuinely baffled by this.

“Catra… do you not understand the concept of friends? I like talking to you, idiot. I want to hang out with you. I don’t need a reason. And you don’t need to doubt yourself.”

Catra suddenly became aware that the room was very quiet. She glanced over to see Bow and Glimmer watching and listening to their conversation. Catra jerked her hands away and looked to the floor, embarrassed. 

“How bout we grab dinner now ok cool!”

She stood up and picked a random direction, walking over to a door in the corner in an attempt to escape the embarassment as fast as possible. 

“That’s the bathroom,” Adora called after her. Wordlessly, she changed course and went for the door Glimmer had come through earlier. She glanced back to see Glimmer shrugging and Bow and Adora laughing softly. The three of them rose to join her. 

  
  


They ended up grabbing take-out and sitting on the steps outside while they ate. They mostly sat in silence, though it was broken up by the occasional conversation by Bow and Glimmer. After they finished, the team moved into the room by the stadium that Adora had mentioned earlier. It was a small locker room, and Catra could see and hear people already beginning to spill into their seats. Adora, Glimmer, and Bow began sliding on their official match gear. Their base color was a deep blue, though they each had colored bands representing the types of benders they were. Catra leaned up against the railing and looked out as the arena quickly filled. The Spirit Koi were doing some last minute stretches, taking sips of water and overall just getting ready. 

As the crowd mostly settled, the lights cut out the same as they had last time Catra was here. The familiar voice of the announcer returned, dramatic and drawling as ever.

“Good evening folks, and welcome to Republic City’s acclaimed bending arena! Our teams are itching to put on a show for you all, so I hope you’re ready to make some noise for them!”   
  


The audience responded with booming cries, stomping their feet and clapping. Catra could feel the vibrations in her hands as she leaned up against the rail.

“Your tickets may pay for the whole seat, but tonight you’re only gonna need the edge! We’ve got a breathtaking set of pairings ready for you tonight. Please welcome the one and only Turtle Ducks!”

Catra recognized the name of the team from last weekend. She had a much better view of them now, as they were standing on the same level. They had their hands up, jumping and cheering to garner as much hype as they could. 

“And another favorite, give it up for the Spirit Koi!”

_ Already?  _ Glimmer and Bow jogged out, and Adora gave Catra a smile and a quick wave as she followed right behind them. Catra shouted out a “good luck,” but it was lost among the ocean of cries. The teams took their positions, standing defensively toe to toe. The bell rang and the match began. Catra began to grip the rail tightly as she leaned in intently to watch. The Turtle Ducks immediately split, moving to fill a third of their zone each, while Bow, Glimmer, and Adora stayed relatively close together. Their firebender rushed towards Bow, lashing out with a volley of fireballs. Catra smirked as she correctly guessed he would block instead of dodging. The sport had seemed mystifying at first, but Catra enjoyed trying to pick it apart. 

The balls of flames were traded for jets, which whizzed past Bow, each one narrowly missing as he dodged. They tried a similar approach as Catra had, mixing up their style. Apparently, Bow had adjusted from their little training session earlier, as he stuck to one style of defense, either only blocking or only dodging. He was able to get in a few deft whips, sending his opponent back a zone. Catra smiled smugly, mentally taking credit for that. 

On the other half of the field, a firefight of rocks and flames were exploding against each other, sending smoke and dust into the air. Glimmer was dodging and spinning like an acrobat while Adora stayed steady and calculated. Stone crashed against stone as white hot fire scorched the air. Catra felt dizzy from the speed at which the exchange was taking place. Similar to how they had approached the Badger Moles, the Turtle Ducks lined up a fire-powered earth disc. Adora threw up a shield, and Glimmer slipped behind her, hiding behind the bulk and letting the fragments fly past. She then slid out from under her as Adora leaned back. Glimmer erupted upwards with a jet of fire, and Adora instantly followed her blinding strike with two discs screaming forward. They both hit their marks with heavy thuds. 

“With some amazing gymnastics from the Koi, the Ducks have been pushed back a zone! Things aren’t looking great for them.”

The Koi advanced forward into Duck territory. The bell signaled the next onslaught to begin. The earthbender on the opposing team stepped back, nearly to the edge of the line. Extending both hands, he began chucking discs at Bow and Glimmer, while the fire and water benders both went for Adora, keeping her isolated and unable to defend her friends. Adora threw disc after disc up, trying to block oncoming water jets as well as licks of flame. Bow was able to catch and discard the stones with relative ease, but Glimmer was stuck trying to use fire to block rocks. A particularly well aimed blow struck her bracers, and she stumbled back into the Koi’s first zone. Adora glanced back at her teammate. Bow had to intercede with a jet of water to block another attack for her as she became distracted. 

The Ducks kept on their offensive, trying to keep their earthbender back and safe. Bow nodded to Adora and stepped in front of her. He furrowed his brow as he dodged and weaved past fire while he and the opposing waterbender locked in an intense exchange, water changing sides and joining and leaving each bender’s repertoire. Catra was leaning forward now, heart pounding as she stared wide-eyed at the match. 

Adora, from her defended position, started swatting earth discs out of the air. It seemed the Koi learned from each other and drew inspiration from their moves, as Adora shifted a foot forward, kicking a disc between Bow’s legs, which went spinning up to crash directly into the waterbender. She was busy tangling with Bow, so she had no way to block the disc that came smashing into her gut. Catra could hear the muffled “oof” even over the eruption of the crowd. Glimmer moved to the side, hurling flames at the opposing firebender, who couldn’t face her and Bow at the same time. He too joined the waterbender’s fate in moving back a zone. The earthbender looked around nervously. 

“The clock is ticking and the Turtle Ducks are looking bad, folks. Will they be bailed out by the clock, or will the Spirit Koi secure yet another win?”

Apparently, this set them into panic mode. The earthbender’s attacks were sporadic and not well aimed, and he was soon pushed back to where his teammates were. The Koi advanced another zone. Catra cheered as Adora sauntered back into her position in the middle. She felt confident that another moment would see the Turtle Ducks wiped out. The Ducks began weaving around each other, in attempt to confuse or distract the Koi. The waterbender threw up a wave in front of her teammates which caught one of Adora’s discs just in time. Catra found herself jeering audibly before she could stop herself. 

A loud clanging sound rang out, and the audience let out a mixture of cheers and boos. 

“Clock’s up, everybody. This round is going to a tiebreaker to decide.”   
  


The teams moved up to the center as a referee entered the arena from the side. Pulling out a brightly painted coin, he made a show of flipping it into the air. He raised a hand to the right.

“The Turtle Ducks win the coin toss. Which element do you choose?”

Catra cursed. 

“We chose fire.”

Glimmer stepped forward onto the middle podium, which began to rise. At the clang of the bell, the Turtle Duck firebender unleashed a blast of fire that far surpassed the allowed amount, even Catra knew that. She could hear Glimmer’s high voice crying out as a wall of flames crashed into her, engulfing her chest and face. She stumbled back, tripping over the edge and falling onto her back on the ground. Adora and Bow rushed over to her as the crowd booed and jeered.

“OUCH! It looks like the Turtle Ducks used an illegally rough move. That means they forfeit the match! The Spirit Koi win, though looking at those burns, they may need a substitute. Those look nasty.”

Adora and Bow each pulled one of Glimmer’s arms over their shoulders and helped her stumble into the room where Catra was waiting. 

“What the fuck was that? Those sore fucking losers!”

  
Catra swore as Glimmer was sat down on the bench. Her uniform was blackened, and the plastic of her helmet had melted slightly. Adora and Bow worked to pull it off to get a look at the injuries beneath. As the padding was removed, Catra could see angry red scorch marks along Glimmer’s right shoulder and part of her neck and face. They didn’t seem too serious, but she did not look like she was in any condition to keep fighting. 

  
Bow pulled a stream of water from his pouch. Placing it over her wounds, a gentle humming noise and a blue glow began to emanate from it as he gently moved his hands over the blisters. They started to fade, but Glimmer still looked bleary and dazed. Adora paced nervously. 

“What are we gonna do, Bow? Glim can’t compete like this. We’re scheduled for another match tonight. We’re not gonna have to forfeit, are we?”

Bow didn’t respond, he seemed to be concentrating. Catra’s voice was almost a choked whisper as she spoke.

“I could.”

Adora looked over.

“Huh? You could what?”

“I could fill in. For Glimmer. You need a firebender, and here I am.”

Glimmer looked like she wanted to protest, but Bow shushed her as he tended her injuries. Adora hummed thoughtfully.

“Actually… you may have a point. You beat both me  _ and  _ Bow, so clearly you know what you’re doing. I don’t think we really have any better options.”

Bow glanced up.

  
“I agree. Catra, I assume you know all the rules of pro-bending.”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve lived in Republic City my whole life, you’d have to spend all your time in the sewers to live here and not learn the rules by heart.”

He nodded. 

“Check in those lockers. We have some extra equipment. There’s sure to be one in your size.”

Adora walked over and helped Catra as she refiled through the locker. Adora held up a padded uniform, sizing her up.

“This should fit. Here, turn around so I can tie it.”

Catra obliged. It was uncomfortable, she felt restricted and slightly heavy, but it fit. Adora passed her a spare helmet. 

“We have one match between now and our next one. So I guess just, try not to panic until then?”

“Gee, very reassuring.” Catra returned to her position at the railing while Adora sat next to Glimmer, putting a comforting hand on her good shoulder. The next match seemed to both crawl by at a snail’s pace and fly past before she knew it was over. The nervous anticipation built as Catra began doubting her decision. Her partial nervous breakdown was cut short as the announcer signaled in the Koi for their next round. Catra took a few deep breaths and put on her helmet, walking out with Bow and Adora while Glimmer watched from the bench.

Stepping out to see a sea of people cheering and staring was terrifying. It was more than terrifying, Catra had never been so scared in her life. At the same time, it was kind of fun. At least she wasn’t getting booed. Yet.    
  


“Looks like the Spirit Koi were able to find back-up, and just in time! Hopefully this new firebender lives up to Glimmer’s skill. She’s got big boots to fill.”   
  


_ Wow, it really is that guy’s job to just make you as nervous as possible, huh?  _ She tried to swallow back her fears as their opponents stepped out. 

“And out from the left, back by popular demand, the Polar Orcas!”

Three tall, extremely menacing looking figures came forward, coming to rest right in front of them. Catra tried to straighten her back and make herself seem as tall as possible. Unfortunately, she barely scraped past 5’2”. She felt extremely unintimidating. As the match began, she jumped at how loud the bell was. It was now or never. The two teams leapt into action.

A spray of fire came directly at Catra's face. She yelped and flailed to the right, trying to stay on her feet. Another jet singed the tip of her ear as it nearly struck her. This was infinitely more stressful than sparring in a secluded room. She tried to imagine this was just one of the Koi training with her. It was hard to block out the deafening sound of the crowd, or the pounding of her own heart. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. The next few attacks she was able to doge more smoothly, and send back a few blows of her own. She glanced to the side, trying not to form tunnel vision. She saw the earthbender punching forward, sending a plate hurling at Bow. Seeing an opportunity, she flicked her hand across her stomach, sending a ball of flame to hit his unprotected side. Letting out a yelp, he stumbled, allowing Bow to pummel him directly off the entire stadium. 

Catra had to refrain from hollering in excitement, but she let the audience do it for her. Bow gave her a quick nod of approval.

“Looks like this new firebender is adjusting quickly, she’s already assisted in sending Hiro right. In. To. The. Poooool!!”

_ I think I’m getting the hang of this,  _ she thought. Unfortunately her luck did not last, as a flurry of fire sent her stumbling back over the zone line. A flash of light and a loud beep indicated she had crossed it. Bow too was slowly pushed back, defending himself against a particularly brutal flurry, until he was standing in zone two as well. Adora was left in front, trying to defend against two benders at once. Catra’s heart seemed to plunge as she saw Adora taking hit after hit. Water whips stung Adora’s legs, fire pushed past her disc to singe her, and she was forced to take a brunt of the attacks for her team. Catra’s fear evolved into absolute fury. 

Instinctively, she drew from the emotion. She felt the energy that let her bend becoming agitated, whirling around to match her own flustered rage. She could feel the heat in her hands as she raised them, before unleashing a terrifying explosion of blows, which was accompanied by a strangled yell. She pummeled her fists forward, sending jet after jet forward to strike the opposing firebender. The only thing she could see or think about was him. Smoke poured from her mouth and nose as she let her anger drip out into burning, blistering fire. The opposing bender looked startled, and he was pushed back, putting his hands up to try and defend himself.

“Stars, folks, this new firebender is going  _ off  _ on poor Moto! He looks like he’s, he IS! HE’s GOING FOR A SWIM! This new teammate has single handedly pushed him all the way to his watery defeat!”

  
  


Catra let out a victorious roar as her opponent fell. The catharsis was blissful. She turned her attention over to the waterbender, to see Adora and Bow tag-teaming him. He had gone into defense mode, trying to shield himself from spinning discs and lashing waves. Catra watched intently. She was the farthest away, which meant she would have the hardest time hitting him, but had the best chance of getting a shot in unnoticed. She waited, scrutinizing his every move. She tried to think back to the rhythm of the factory, imagining the striking of elements as striking of hammers. She let the smoke that had poured from her mouth remind her of the stinging smell of iron and dust. 

Lightning was absolutely against the rules, but she could still utilize the same technique to calm herself. As she focused on her senses, being careful to stay fully in touch with the gentle humming in her hands, she saw her opening. Taking a deep breath, she tried to embrace Koi spirit and learn from her teammates. She waited for a distraction, like Glimmer did, choosing the moment Adora and Bow attacked at the same time for her strike. As the disc and flying water blocked her from view, Catra cartwheeled forward. Adora was just beginning to throw another disc, and Catra realized too late that her hand was on it. There was a split second of fear, before she replaced it with resolve. 

_ I hope all that punching with water has made Adora used to bending against weight,  _ she silently prayed. The ground beneath her was suddenly pulled away as she was flung upward, feet in the air. She flipped up, over Adora’s head, and was almost dizzied by how high she was. No going back now. Tumbling down, she flipped, so that her feet were coming down towards the waterbender. She finally let the vibrating energy free, blasting him with a blazing inferno from above. He was slammed back, knocking into the side of the ring, as Bow’s water quickly shoved him the rest of the way down. Catra landed with a thud, hands coming to meet the ground as she made impact. 

For a second, there was almost total silence, as people just looked on in astonishment. Then, the booming cheers came. It was much, much more exhilarating than Catra could have ever imagined. Adora scooped her up into a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around.

“Unbelievable! That was one of the most daring moves I’ve seen in all my years! The Spirit Koi take a dramatic and satisfying victory! They've truly secured an intimidating reputation for themselves this season!”

Catra finally felt the weight of all that stress coming down on her. She was able to laugh and cheer with the others, but she was sweaty and absolutely drained. Bow high-fived her as they took their leave. 

As soon as their helmets were off, Adora was breathlessly chattering.

“Catra, seriously! That was  _ crazy _ _!_ I didn’t know you knew how to do anything like that!!”

“Honestly, I didn’t either. It was kind of an accident.”

“Well damn, you should have accidents more often.”

Catra took a long drink of water.

“Hey. Catra.”

She glanced over, surprised to hear Glimmer addressing her. She had clearly been attended to while the others had their second game, as she now had bandages dressing her wounds. 

“Good job out there.”

Catra smiled. Maybe Adora was right about her after all. She nodded contentedly.

“Yeah, it was a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.”

Glimmer rolled her eyes.

“Don’t push your luck. I still don’t trust you.”

“Trust or not, you totally owe me now.”

She gave a self-satisfied wink. 

  
  


The rest of the games passed, and Catra watched with a more reserved attitude. She was honestly exhausted, and she couldn’t find the energy to cheer and jump like usual. As the crowd slowly shuffled out, she welcomed the oncoming quiet. Bow and Glimmer had moved into the training room to sit, and Adora was next to Catra in the locker area so they could watch the rest of the matches together. Adora turned to her as the stadium began to darken. 

“So…” she seemed to hesitate, unsure. “Where are you going after this?”

“Uh, home I guess.”

“Do you need a ride?”

Catra thought of the shitty hostel, the rundown roof and grimy windows. She didn’t want Adora to see that. She responded a little hastily.

“No, no it’s fine. I’ll walk.”

Adora almost looked disappointed. The expression made Catra’s heart sink. 

“Oh, ok. I can give you the address to the place I’m staying, if you want to drop by sometime. I live with Glimmer at her mom’s house. We have plenty of spare rooms, if you ever... I don’t know. Wanted to stay over?”

An unfamiliar squirming entered Catra’s stomach, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. She simply nodded. 

“Well, um. I guess I should be getting back.”

She rose awkwardly. Adora followed suit. 

“Right. And I should probably check and make sure Glimmer’s okay. Bow’s probably gonna come with us, I doubt he’ll let her out of his sight until she’s fully healed up.”

There was an uncomfortable pause, neither of them knew what to say next.

“So… see you later?”

“Yeah. See you.”

Adora gave Catra an awkward hug. She had to lean up on her tiptoes to get her arms around Adora’s shoulders. With that strained goodbye, Catra made her way to the door. The sun had set, and people were still swarming around the front of the building. She took a back way so as to avoid the pushing and shoving of trying to get past that crowd. 

The walk home was uneventful. Catra didn’t feel nearly the same high as she had walking back with Scorpia. Even though she had actually competed in a pro-bending game, and  _ won,  _ she was mostly exhausted. Exhausted and conflicted. She wanted so, so badly to know Adora, to be close to Adora, but she couldn’t help the anxiety of wondering what would happen when Adora got to know  _ her _ . She could see the look in her eyes at finding out Catra was a member of the Horde, could see her turning and leaving, never to be seen again. She was tempted to try and break things off now, tear off the bandaid to spare herself future pain. But she couldn’t. Even as she walked, she knew she couldn’t, and wouldn’t. 

Pushing her way in the door, Catra was met with a dreaded sight: the tall and spindly form of Shadow Weaver, standing in the front room.

“My, my, look who’s been out late.”

Her voice was cold, and chilled Catra to the bone with how creaky and menacing it was. 

“Yeah, and? I ain’t got a curfew.”

Shadow Weaver extended a hand, long, gnarled fingers waving at Catra. She sighed and grimaced. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the measly pay she had been given that week and counted out her rent. It was almost 7/8ths of the bills. Shadow Weaver took them with a flourish and shoved them in her pockets. 

“What was an urchin like you doing out at night, anyway? No doubt getting into trouble.”

Catra gritted her teeth. She knew Shadow Weaver was just trying to grind her gears, but it was working.

“Went out with some friends,  _ actually. _ ”

Shadow Weaver began laughing, and it bordered on a cackle. Catra would have been annoyed, but she had the feeling it was actually genuine.

“Catra, the day someone finds a friend in a miserable sack of filth like you is the day I get enough money to buy out the Earth queen’s job.”

Catra flipped her off. 

“Not my problem you don’t believe me, you dusty old fucking hag.”

Shadow Weaver’s expression changed. She stepped forward, neck craning in towards Catra. The way her matted black hair clung to her boney spine was chilling. 

“I would advise you to watch your tone around me, you insolent little rat.”

Catra stood her ground. 

“Oh yeah? Or what? You gonna withhold my food from me? Cut my AC? Soak my mattress with water in the middle of winter? Haven’t you already done all those?”

Suddenly, a nauseating feeling came over her. Shadow Weaver raised her hands, still stepping forward. Catra was beginning to go numb. She felt like her cells were resisting her control, forcing her to do as they pleased instead of the other way around. Slowly, she felt her hands rising, quivering as they were bent up and behind her. The feeling of having her own blood pilot her from the inside made Catra want to throw up. She tried to speak, but couldn’t find the voice. Her knees buckled, forcing her down, where her head bowed to the floor, in a pose of submission she could not resist. 

Shadow Weaver leaned down next to her, whispering into her ear.

“You forget who I am, Catra. I know you better than you know yourself. You will never get away from me, or the Horde. You are my  _ puppet _ .” 

As if to emphasize her words, she pulled Catra’s arms a little higher back. She managed to squeak out a yelp of pain. Catra could move her eyes, and as she looked up at Shadow Weaver’s stained teeth, she was able to see the red ink poking out from her sleeve. Not all of it was visible, but Catra knew the symbol of one of Hordak’s commanding officers well enough. Suddenly, she was dropped. She crashed to the floor, gasping and trying to feel her limbs again. Shadow Weaver stepped back, folding her hands and straightening her spine.

“Now,” she said, “I assume we won’t be having any more… disagreements?”

She didn’t wait for a response, and Catra was not in a state to give one. Shadow Weaver disappeared into another room as Catra desperately shook. She held her hands up to her face, as if trying to convince herself she had control once more. Doing her best to scoop up her bag as fast as she could, she rushed into her room, locking the door. She couldn’t stop the shaking as she lay in bed, staring up at the low ceiling above. 

_ Maybe Shadow Weaver’s right,  _ she thought. She could almost feel the skin where her own tattoo was burning.  _ Maybe I’ll never get out. _ She rolled over and curled up into a ball, throwing her covers over herself. She spent the rest of the night trying to hold back sobs.


	3. The Spirit Of Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for slightly gory violence in this chapter. If you don't like the kind of thing, skip from when they get through the broken gate down to the line break, you won't be missing anything important.

Catra’s feet dangled over open air as she gently kicked her legs back and forth absentmindedly. She was sitting on the roof of the factory, eating her lunch and listening as Adora quietly hummed next to her. 

In the week or so following Catra’s first and only pro-bending match, Adora had started dropping by more and more. It was now a daily rhythm the two of them had. Catra would scramble and climb up the rough edges and pipes of the walls while Adora earthbent her way up. It often escalated rather quickly into a race, and Catra was quite pleased that she almost always won. She prided herself on her quick reflexes and acute sense of balance. 

“How’s Glimmer’s recovery going?”

To be totally honest, Catra didn’t really care, and was pretty sure Glimmer hated her guts, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say to break the silence. Adora looked up from where she was concentrating very hard on tossing pebbles down to the street below.

“Oh! She’s good. Bow healed most of the wounds pretty early on. She’s been getting some physical therapy to work out the kinks, but she’s pretty much back on her feet. We don’t have a game scheduled for a little while, so she should have all the time she needs to get back to normal.”

Nodding, Catra returned to her sandwich. Conversations with Adora were extremes of either very awkward (in no part due to the embarrassment that constantly plagued her around the other girl), or extremely smooth and natural. Today, it was definitely leaning towards uncomfortable. Catra hadn’t slept well, and she kept zoning out and missing the few things Adora had to say. 

“Hey, so I was wondering…”

Catra looked over to Adora, who had her eyes set firmly in a direction away from Catra’s as she spoke.

“Would you wanna get out of here?”

“Out of where? Republic City? Yes. I don’t think I can stand the smell of grime and exhaust for one more day.”

“Oh, I meant more like… just out of here, specifically. Like, ditching work to go walk around, grab a bite to eat, or anything you wanted really.”

Catra hesitated, unsure as to what Adora was getting at.

“As tempting as that sounds, not all of us are famous athletes. I can barely keep a roof over my head working full days. Cutting in the middle of my shift is really not an option.”

Adora looked even farther away from Catra’s eyes, wringing her hands together.

“Ok, I’ve told you before, I’m not famous. And as I've _also_ said before, you can always crash with me if you want. We have a spare bedroom and there’s plenty of space! You wouldn’t have to worry about working so hard all the time. Wouldn’t it be nice to let go a little, take a breath?”

It would. But thinking about sleeping in the same house as Adora made her stomach flip uncomfortably. Not to mention, Catra was stubborn. She knew it, and made sure everyone around her knew it. A nagging part of her reminded her that even though Adora was kind to her, she still couldn’t trust her, not when vulnerability meant potential discovery. And then she would be on her own again. No, Catra would rather work her ass off and keep her secrets than let Adora help her. She didn’t need help anyway. She was a grown woman who could take care of herself, thank you very much. 

“I’ve told you before princess, I’m not gonna be your new roomie. For one, I think Sparkles would murder me in my sleep. And two, I’ve clawed my way up to where I am, and even if you might think I’m just another mangy gutter rat, I  _ like _ where I am in my life.”

She hadn’t meant for it to come off that bitter, but she couldn’t help it. Her spiky defenses were there to protect her, she could sacrifice some hurt feelings to keep herself safe. 

“Catra, you know I don’t think of you like that. Accepting help doesn’t make you weak. Anyway, I’m sorry for asking. I just thought you might want to do something fun for a change.” 

Oh, and now Adora gets to get the last word in? Oh, no. No that won’t do at all. Silently, Catra folded her bag neatly and shoved it in a wedge in the roof. She stood up, bare feet flexing against the cool cement roof. Adora looked up at her questioningly.

“Uh, Catra?”

Catra didn’t respond, and instead scanned the city, looking for an ideal target. From her vantage point, she could spot several areas that could make for good potential afternoon adventures. Finally, she settled on what looked like a rooftop garden, several blocks away. She raised a finger to point.

“See that roof there? The square one with the plants and shit on it?”

Adora squinted.

“Umm… I think so?”

Catra let her pointed canines show through her lips as she smirked.

“Bet I can beat you there.”

  
Without any further warning, Catra took off, grabbing a pipe to descend quickly down the wall of the factory. Above her, she heard confused protesting from Adora, and laughed into the wind now roaring in her ears as Adora struggled to keep up. 

Her feet struck brick and she took off in a dead sprint, using a table as a springboard over the fence that surrounded the patio, jumping past confused and indignant coworkers as she went. She glanced back to see Adora disappearing below the fenceline. Looking back in front of her, she took off down an alley. She ignored the confused glances she got from passers by as she ducked and weaved through the city, slowing down just enough for Adora to keep her in sight and give chase. If she had wanted to, Catra was sure she could outrun her with ease. 

The burning of her lungs was welcome, she hadn’t run like this in a while and she realized as she went just how much she missed it. Her feet skidded against the ground as she whipped around a turn, grabbing a light post and nearly colliding with a pedestrian as she spun and kept running. Several times, she had to remind herself she had a destination, and couldn’t just wander wherever she pleased. 

As they grew closer to the rooftop she had in mind, Catra decided to slow down to allow Adora to gain even more ground. She heard heavy footsteps behind her and let out a gravelly laugh at the exertion. Turning into another alley, she looked back, to see Adora almost completely out of breath. As she turned again to face where she was going, she had to dig her heels painfully into the cement to avoid crashing into the body that was now in front of her. Adora arrived a second later, gasping for breath. 

“Well now, what have we got here?”

The voice was low, gritty and booming. Catra’s eyes darted around to see there were not one but three people blocking their path, all tall, hulking figures. Adora glanced at them nervously.

“Uh… Catra? Who are these guys?”

One of the men to the left let out his own barking laugh.   
  


“Who are we? I’ll tell ya who we are, little miss.”

He reached up to his arm and pulled up his sleeve, revealing a black emblem of two wings surrounding a small diamond. Catra swore under her breath.

“They’re with the Horde.”

She glanced to their faces to see if she could recognize any of them. The first two were unfamiliar, but shit- the goon to the right was Tung Lashor. Catra knew him alright. Worse still, he knew  _ her. _ He knew her secret. She took a step backwards, and Adora followed suit.

“Where are you two going in such a hurry then? Or did you forget, this is  _ our _ turf?”

Fuck. She had forgotten. Beside her, Adora stumbled over her words, looking for an excuse. Tung Lashor stepped forward, glowering down at Catra.

“Looks like we’re not the only Horde Scum around here. You’ve got a lot of nerve, showing your face here, Cat-”

Panicking, Catra swiped a fist towards him, blasting fire into his face. He cried out and stumbled back, growling at the blackened soot covering his face. 

“Adora, get ready to run!” 

The two of them entered a fighting stance immediately, and Catra couldn’t help but flash quickly back to the pro-bending match they had won together. 

“You aren’t going anywhere you insolent shit!”

  
The three men stepped backwards, each entering their own fighting positions. One of them drew water from a pouch at his side, the one in the middle snorted out a puff of smoke from his nose, and Tung Lashor pulled out a whip from his belt. There was a moment of tense silence between the five of them before they all started moving at once. 

The man to the left sent a water whip whistling towards Catra, who yelped and barely managed to dive out of the way in time. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adora bring up part of the road to protect herself and heard the  _ snap _ of Lashor’s whip striking the stone harmlessly. The waterbender began approaching Catra while whip strikes and bursts of flame began prodding Adora’s defenses. Catra looked around, searching for a possible escape route. There was another alley across the square, but it was closed by a tall, metal gate. 

She yelped as a stinging burst of water sliced across her cheek, regaining her attention. She was able to fend off his next two attacks with flames coating her fists. She jabbed a few bursts of fire towards him, all of which he blocked. Catra was barely able to melt a cascade of icy knives out of the air in time to keep herself from getting shredded.

Holding her ground, she waited for her opening. The water whipped past her again, and she slid deftly to the right to avoid it. Raising two fingers, she sent a bolt of lightning arching into the receding whip. Instantly, the man shrieked and tensed, voice gurgling in his throat as burning electricity jolted every muscle in his body. Black lichtenberg figures creeped up his arms as the fabric of his sleeve melted into the burn wounds on his hand. When the scream stopped, Catra let the arc die. The man crumpled instantly, striking the concrete limply and going still. Catra looked over to see Adora staring wide-eyed at the body. She only managed to avoid a strike from Tung Lashor when Catra cried out for her to duck. 

“We need to get to that gate!”

Adora nodded, focusing again. She punched towards her wall, sending distracting chunks of stone heaving towards the two remaining thugs, after which she darted out from her shielded area, dashing over towards the gate. Intending to make cover for them, Catra turned to the water now soaking the ground around them. She placed her hands on the ground and sent out a burst of heat radiating through the bricks. The water evaporated quickly, sending steam into the air, momentarily giving them a distraction.

She arrived to find Adora grabbing two of the bars and pulling with all her force. Her teeth were gritted and she was straining with the effort. Catra danced anxiously on the balls of her feet.

“C’mon, we don’t have much time!”

“I’m trying! Last time I checked I wasn’t a metalbender! This isn't exactly easy!”

“Well now would be a great time for your cliched plot development! Hurry!”

Adora let out a frustrated yell as the gate refused to budge.

“Ok, that’s not working. Move to defend us for a moment, I’ll work on the gate.”

  
Adora nodded, and resumed fending off the two Horde members. Catra rubbed her hands together before gripping the bars tightly. Breathing in deeply, she began to heat the metal. The black iron slowly began turning red, and a glowing warmth began licking outwards. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of fighting. 

_ C’mon, just a bit more,  _ she whispered to herself. When the softened area finally looked big enough, she let go and stepped to the side.

“Hit it!”

Adora glanced back, nodded, and kicked the ground. A rock the size of Catra’s head shot upwards and struck the gate, rending it open and flying into the alley beyond. With the lock melted and then smashed out of the way, the gate swung open, banging against the brick walls behind it. 

“You got it, now let’s get the fuck out of here!”

She sprinted down the alley, and heard Adora following. Lashor and the other thug were right behind them. There was a brief illumination of orange light and Catra heard Adora cry out. She turned to see a scorch mark through a burned hole in the shoulder of her coat. Catra felt the same rage that had overcome her at seeing Adora injured during the pro-bending match seep into her again. She slid between Adora and the two men and sent a wall of blistering fire screaming towards them, allowing her fury to fuel the inferno. The firebender was able to protect himself, but Tung Lashor had no defense, and Catra’s own scream twisted with his as the fire consumed him, scorching into his flesh deep enough that when his blackened body hit the ground there was charred bone visible in several places. 

Still seething, Catra entered a furious one-on-one with the other firebender. The alley was alight in a shower of sparks and cascading bouts of fire. The resultant smoke was beginning to burn Catra’s eyes and cloud her vision, but she was too angry to even notice, let alone care. Suddenly the man was thrown off balance as a circle of the sidewalk beneath him turned 180 degrees, sending him toppling over backwards. Adora pushed past Catra, determination in her eyes. Using her one good arm, Adora took advantage of her prone target to send several stones towards him. Bones snapped as the heavy rocks made contact. In a last rush of strength, Adora bent the wall of the alley, straining at the weight as she caused it to collapse, blocking the path to follow them and completely burying the firebender and the remains of Tung Lashor. 

Without another word, they ran.    
  


* * *

When the pair finally stopped running, every muscle in Catra’s body was screaming. Adora dropped to the ground next to her, gasping and heaving. Catra looked down at her, concerned. Adora had a hand covering her mouth as if she expected to be throwing up. Tentatively, she laid a hand on her back.

“Are you ok?”

Adora didn’t remove her hand from her mouth, but shook her head slightly, eyes clenched shut. Fuck, Catra didn’t know how to comfort people. She sat down awkwardly next to her, keeping contact with her back, though making sure to avoid touching the raw wound on her shoulder. 

“You did really well back there, Adora. Not a lot of people would have been able to hold their own against those three. But you did.”

Adora finally opened her eyes to meet Catra’s.

  
“That’s the problem,” she choked out. “I’ve never… Catra, we hurt them so bad. They probably  _ died _ because of us.”

“Aren’t you used to fighting people? That’s your whole job.”

“You don’t get it. That’s different, it has rules! We wear protection, you aren’t supposed to get hurt. I- the _sounds_ when those rocks hit that guy... I dropped a fucking wall on him! And you… you didn’t even flinch when you…”

  
Adora didn’t finish the sentence. Catra tried to push back the anger growing at that.

“I did what I had to to keep us alive. C’mon, we need to get that burn looked at. Do you have any clue where in the city we are?”

Adora glanced up, before giving a shaky nod.

“I can get us home from here.”

Catra extended a hand to help her stand, which she took. She bit her tongue to avoid blushing at the spark she felt when their fingers met. Slowly, Adora led them away. 

  
  


Catra whistled as the house came into view. Adora had mentioned that she was staying with the Ambassador to the Fire Nation, but damn. A two story brick building loomed above them, ivy clinging to the walls. The shingles were black, and large windows no doubt built to let in as much sunshine as possible were set into the walls. The courtyard at the front of the house was enclosed by a wooden fence. As they approached, Adora fished around in her pocket and produced a key. Catra gritted her teeth at the grinding squeak the rusty hinges made as the gate swung open. 

“Geez. This is… excessive.” 

Adora nodded numbly beside her. When they arrived at the front door, Catra had just raised a fist to knock when the door swung open and they were met with an angry, high voice.

“What the hell? Adora, what happened to you? Wait, it was  _ you, _ wasn’t it! I always told you she was filth, Adora. Get the fuck away from her!”

Catra blinked at the speed and volume of the words. Sparkles was there, yelling at both of them. Adora waved a hand weakly to get her to stop.

“Glim, seriously it’s ok. Catra  _ helped _ me, why would she be here if she did this to me? Can we just come in please?”

  
Glimmer grumbled but opened the door further.

“I’ll get Bow. Head to the kitchen and get some water on that. Mom can help you.”

She gave one last pointed glare in Catra’s direction before rushing out the door.

“Nice to see you again too,” Catra grumbled. Adora led her through the halls, ducking into a small but lavish kitchen. Several herbs hung from the walls, and a variety of spices and seasonings sat on the counter. Adora moved over to the sink and grabbed a rag, placing it under a flow of water. She neglected to warn Catra as she slid her damaged shirt over her head to make room to treat the injury. Catra yelped and looked away quickly, cheeks burning.

Grabbing the wet cloth, Catra instructed Adora to turn around, before moving to apply it to the injury. Adora started as the cold water made contact with the burn, but bit her lip and let Catra get to gently removing pieces of fabric from the area. She did her best to be as gentle as possible, and winced whenever Adora made a quiet, pained sound. 

She didn’t even notice the woman come in until she was speaking. Catra flinched, and Adora cried out at the sudden movement. 

“Adora! Glimmer told me you’d been hurt, an- oh, sorry, who is this exactly?”

Catra glanced back and gave her a onceover. She was tall, elegantly dressed, with straight hair and dangling earrings. Catra turned back to cleaning Adora’s wound without a word. 

“This is Catra,” Adora supplied. 

“Well it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Catra. I’m Angella.”

Catra let out a quiet snort. Adora kicked her shin under the table. Angella moved closer, peering over Catra’s shoulder to try and get a look at Adora’s shoulder.

“What on Earth happened, if I may ask?”

“Horde.”

Catra was not in the mood for talking, and the hairs on the back of her neck were already prickling from how close Angella was standing to her. 

“The Horde? Why were you picking fights with The Horde?”

Catra suppressed a snarl. She  _ really  _ did not like this woman. 

“We didn’t do it on purpose. We got sidetracked. Accidentally walked into one of their fucking ambushes. It’s fine. We got out, didn’t we?”

Catra could feel Angella shifting nervously behind her, but she didn’t say anything else. Adora piped up, trying to ease the obvious tension in the room.

“It’s ok, Angella, ma’am, I’m honestly fine. I mean, I will be. It doesn’t even hurt that bad! See?”

Adora gave a thumbs up with her bad arm and immediately cried out in pain.

“Hold still!” Catra shot her through gritted teeth, but she barely shoved down her chuckle. She had no idea how Adora could be such an idiot but so endearing at the same time. 

  
  


After the wound was clean, Adora leaned back against the sink, allowing cool water to flow over the burn. Catra had demanded she at least cover herself with a towel.

_ Because it’s indecent,  _ she had responded, when Adora had teased her for it. Eventually, Catra heard the front door opening, and two pairs of voices coming towards them. Bow and Glimmer turned the corner into the kitchen. Glimmer still looked grumpy, and Bow was almost comically mortified. He rushed over to where the two of them were sitting.

“Adora!! Glimmer said you were jumped by a gang of thugs, and that you came limping back home on your last legs and that you needed healing right away!!!”

He was out of breath, and Adora and Catra shared a look, to which Catra shrugged. 

“Ok, Bow, really I’m fine. I just got burned a bit. See?”

She twisted so the injury was visible. Bow let out a distressed sound and hovered his hands over it. The water running over the burn began to glow blue and a humming noise filled the room, just as it had when he had healed Glimmer in the locker room. Adora visibly relaxed as the skin began to return to its natural shade, angry red blotches fading slowly as he worked. Catra tapped a foot against the floor, not really sure what she was meant to do. She could feel Sparkles boring a hole into her back with her eyes, but didn’t look over to meet her gaze. 

When Bow finally stepped back, Adora’s arm looked good as new. She stretched it a few times, testing it. Bow stood up.

“I’ll go find you a shirt without a massive hole in it. You really have to catch us up on everything over dinner though.”

He rushed out of the room, and Glimmer disappeared as well. Finally alone with Adora, Catra cast her gaze towards her feet. 

“Catra?”

She glanced back up, locking eyes with Adora. She looked pensive, frowning slightly and staring intensely into Catra’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry for earlier. I probably wouldn’t have gotten out of there alive without your help. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, it was just… that was a lot to take in.”

Catra nodded.

“No hard feelings, princess. I get it. It’s definitely not a bad thing that violence makes you sick. You’re a good person, Adora.”

Adora smiled, leaning forward slightly. Catra felt her heart leap and breathing begin to quicken. Whatever  _ that _ was was thankfully cut short as Bow returned, shoving a large sweater into Adora’s hands. She slid it on, thanking him quietly. Catra mumbled an excuse about finding the bathroom and slid out of the kitchen. She finally allowed herself to take a deep breath, finding comfort in the less cramped hallway. She glanced back at the doorway to the kitchen, listening to Bow and Adora chatter as Adora recounted the story of what had happened to him. She let out a long sigh, and turned towards the door, intending to slip out unnoticed. 

“And where do you think you’re going?”

  
Catra flinched and whirled around. Glimmer was sitting on the stairs, watching her. 

“What’s it to you? I thought you wanted me out of your house.”

Glimmer stood up and paced over to Catra. She was shorter than her by a few inches, but Catra had to admit she knew how to pull off an angry glower when she wanted to.

“Listen. I don’t like you. You know that. I know that. It’s not a secret.” She trailed off, and Catra wondered where this was going. “But, you helped Adora today. I’m not convinced it wasn’t somehow your fault in the first place, but still. I may not trust you, but I appreciate what you did for her today.”

  
Catra paused, then nodded.

“Trust me, Sparkles, the feeling is mutual. But I think we both care about her equally. You would have done the same.” 

There was silence between them for a moment, before Glimmer reached out a hand and grabbed her arm. Catra tensed at the unwelcome contact.

“Now get your ass back in the kitchen. You’re staying for dinner. Don’t you try to just slip out on us like that.” 

Without another word, she began dragging Catra back down the hallway. 

* * *

Catra spent most of dinner sitting as far to the edge of the bench as possible, poking at her food but barely eating. She couldn’t really work up an appetite after the day’s events. That, and seeing how naturally Bow, Glimmer, and Adora laughed and chattered. Catra couldn’t help feel a pang of jealousy and resentment at how often they made Adora laugh, and how comfortable and loose Adora seemed around them. It was a side of Adora that Catra rarely got to see, and she hated that she didn’t know how to bring it out. 

At one point, Adora muttered an excuse and excused herself, slipping quietly out. Catra faintly heard footsteps going up the stairs. She turned back to an awkward silence as Bow and Glimmer seemed out of things to say. That was fine, Catra could play that game too. In fact, the less she had to say to these two, the better. 

Her luck was spoiled when Bow addressed her with small talk. 

“Sooo… where do you live?”

Catra grit her teeth.

“What’s it to you, Arrow boy?”

Bow looked genuinely offended.

“I mean, I was just curious. Especially if you’re going to be the newest member of the Best Friend Squad.”

“Um. The what?”

“You know, me, Glim, Adora? Is our trio becoming a quartet, or…?”

“Ok, first of all that is the worst name you could have possibly chosen. And I doubt it. Sparkles over there hates me and it’s obvious that I don’t belong with you three.”

Glimmer rolled her eyes. Bow remained silent, seemingly unsure of what else to say. After a moment, Catra rose to go find Adora, unable to sit with these two any longer. 

She slipped up the stairs, unsure of where she could have gone. She passed several closed doors as she padded down the hall, but stopped at a cracked one as she heard a slight rustling from inside. She stood still, holding her breath, and caught the sound of a small whimper from within. Peaking through the opening, she saw Adora, staring into a mirror. The sleeves of her sweater were rolled up, and in one hand she was clutching a small razor. Catra watched as Adora gritted her teeth and drew the small blade across her arm again, gasping slightly as pricks of blood appeared along the line of broken skin.

Wide-eyed, Catra pushed the door open, throat clenched, and approached Adora, who jumped and rushed to hide her arms. 

“Oh, Catra! Sorry, I didn’t know you were up here.” 

Adora looked nervous, and had her hands behind her back. Catra walked up until she was right next to her. Then she closed her eyes, leaning in and resting her head against Adora’s chest, wrapping her arms around her back and linking her fingers together. Adora’s breath caught, and she paused for a moment, before she buried her face into Catra’s hair and hugged her back. Catra could feel Adora quietly crying above her. She slowly ran a hand up and down her back, trying to help comfort her friend. Adora’s quiet shakes slowly became sobs as she melted into Catra’s embrace. For once, Catra was not uncomfortable with the physical contact, instead she was just determined. She allowed herself to feel the slight burning where the contact was being made, enjoying the warmth of her arms and doing her best to let her calmness pour into Adora. 

When Adora’s sobs had subsided, and her breathing had stilled, she leaned back, placing her hands on Catra’s shoulders. To her surprise, Catra actually found herself missing the touch. She looked into Adora’s deep umber eyes, now slightly red from crying, and gave a small, reassuring smile. Moving back a bit, she gently took hold of Adora’s wrist.

“May I?” She asked in barely a whisper, tugging slightly at the sleeve. Adora nodded shakily, looking down to the floor. Catra gently pulled the fabric back to reveal the skin of her arm. Three red lines had been etched into it, and Catra could see countless other faded scars now that she looked closely. She ghosted a finger down her arm, trying to be as gentle as possible. Gently reaching for her other hand, Catra slipped the razor out of her palm and set it on the desk. She looked back up to Adora, and placed a hand up to her cheek, wiping away the tear trails. It was a bold move, but it was what felt natural.

“Why, Adora?” The question wasn’t meant to be judgmental. Catra had seen her fair share of coping mechanisms in her life, she certainly wasn’t going to blame Adora for how she dealt with her problems. Thankfully, Adora seemed to understand what she meant.

“This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for me. I shouldn’t have pushed you to skip work. Now you won’t get paid for today, and we got hurt. That fight was serious, Catra. And it was all my fault.”

Catra left her palm on Adora’s face, still gently tracing her thumb up and down.

“No, Adora. It wasn’t your fault. I’m the one who ran off. I should have paid attention to where I was going.”

Adora began to protest, but Catra shushed her.

“Listen, Adora. You can’t keep blaming yourself for everything. The stress is going to kill you. I need you to listen to me, okay? Shit happens. People are awful, bad things happen to those who don’t deserve it. That’s just how things work. But not because of you. One person couldn’t possibly prevent all of that. What’s important is today we got out together. We’re both alive, and that’s the best we could hope for given the circumstances.”

“But Catra, you  _ killed _ people today. Two of them.”

Catra looked down, mouth twisting against her will.

“Look, princess. You do what you have to to keep you and the people you love safe. They would have killed us if I didn’t deal with them first.”

Adora smirked slightly, a welcome sight to contrast the misery she was just in.

“Did you just call me a loved one?”

Catra shoved her palm into her face, groaning and stepping back as Adora laughed.

“You just  _ had _ to go and ruin it, didn’t you?”

Despite her sarcasm, she couldn’t help but join Adora in smiling. When her giggling fit had subsided, Adora looked at her again with curiosity. 

“Hey, I have another question.”

“Let me see, no I don’t like you, it wasn’t me, talk to my lawyer, red, and no. Did that about answer your questions?”

Adora rolled her eyes.

“That gangster guy. The one with the whip. He talked to you like he knew you. Have you seen him before?”

Catra’s heart sank and she felt like she had just been plunged into icy water. 

_ So this is where it ends. I’m busted. I can’t come back from this. I need to get out. _

Catra stuttered, eyes darting back and forth as she stepped back. 

“Woah hey, Catra, are you okay?”

Catra swallowed. She tried to speak, but she couldn’t get any words out. Her mind raced, reminding her of all the moments she had shared with Adora, from sparring with her to their teamwork during the match to just the way her nose crinkled up when she laughed. All of that was crumbling away as she stumbled backwards, shaking her head. She did the only thing she knew  _ how  _ to do. She ran. 


End file.
